NEWS - Antoine Gaber

Transcription

Anno 2 numero 36 - Firenze
Thursday 29 June 2006
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Runway over
the river
Designer Roberto
Cavalli takes
Florence as his
muse
Prince of vice
Forza Azzurri!!!
Son of last
Italian King arrested
By Leo Cardini
see pg. 4
The Palio:
ready, set, go
By Kara Hoffman
see pg. 6
see pg. 21
see pg. 16
INDEPENDENCE DAY
Older than the Rolling Stones
Villa Demidoff hosts annual
Tuscan/American celebration
Etruscan rocks star in Archaelogical Exhibit
E
D
uring ‘Archaeological Nights’
Tuscany shows off its most
ancient treasures in a packed
calendar of 300 cultural events based
on the theme ‘Ancient Tuscany in
Europe and the Mediterranean.’ During special exhibits and extraordinary archaeological hikes, Tuscany’s
museums and parks will welcome
night-time visitors throughout the
summer months. Thanks to theme
dinners, cultural lectures and international previews of archaeologi-
cal cinema, history lovers will have
their share of excitement this summer. Currently the biggest archaeological festival in Italy and Europe,
the initiative was created in 2001
and has gained international fame
over the past five years. Designed
to expose some of the region’s more
hidden treasures, this year’s theme
delves deeply into the relationship
between the Etruscans and other
Mediterranean civilizations. Vivere
da Etrusco, Identità e Contaminazi-
oni (‘Living like an Etruscan: Identity and Contamination’) highlights
how Mediterranean populations
profoundly influenced the Etruscan
identity. Nineteen local museums,
all members of the Archaeological
Museum Association of Tuscany,
will come together to host this
extraordinary event, which is sponsored also by the Tuscan Region and
the Superintendents of Tuscany’s
archaeological patrimony.
see pg. 3
xpect it all—hamburgers fresh
off the grill, watermelon and
homemade ice cream. Expect sun
and shade, kids’ relay races, multicoloured balloons and pony rides.
In a word, look for all the fun,
games and good spirits characteristic of the Fourth of July. Only
this year, expect to treat yourself
to a bit of American independence—in Tuscany. On Saturday,
July 1, from 5 pm to 11 pm, the
Villa Demidoff in Pratolino will play
host to over 3,000 people gathering to celebrate the day in the
company of the American-Florentine community.
see pg. 3
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HOT IN THE CITY
July 27 will be The Florentine’ s
last summer issue.
On September 7, we’ re back
in town with news and views
around Florence.
June 29-30, July 1
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editor in Chief
Nita Tucker
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Linda Falcone
contributing editors
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continued from pg. 1
Greek ceramics found in Etruscan burial grounds take centre stage in
Pitigliano, the Archaeological Civic Museum dedicated to Etruscan civilization, in their newest exhibit ‘Heroes, Divinity and Love,’ while the Etruscan
Museum of Cortona’s Academy will explore the ancient art of perfumemaking in an experimental educational exhibit called ‘La Via dei Profumi’.
During this two-month show starting July 1, fragrance fans can enjoy a
myriad of rich essential oils recreated thanks to ancient Latin and Greek
texts. For those who prefer the art of eating, the Archaeological and Art
Museum of the Maremma will host an initiative called ‘Living like an Etruscan: Banquets, Aristocracy and Wine’ from July 1 to Aug. 31.
Starting July 6, experts at the archaeological mineral park in San Silvestro a Campiglia Marittima will invite rock collectors to hop on a ‘mineral
train’ for a one-and-a-half kilometre trip into the heart of the earth, along
the ancient via ferrata used by miners. More than 90 types of minerals can
be found in this open-air mineral history museum. Guided visits and hiking
routes in Cortona will take the old and new archaeologists to more than
eleven sites within its Archaeological Park from July 1 to July 9. Hikers can
follow Hannibal’s footsteps along ancient Roman roads that once hosted
the famed Battle of Trasimeno. Those who are looking for some alternative ‘nightlife’ can spend an evening or two in Civitella Paganico and take
a night-time stroll around the Roman baths in Pietratonda. From July 2 to
6, brave night owls may carry torches through the Archaeological Park in
Piombino and enjoy the monumental necropolis of San Cerbone.
INDEPENDENCE DAY
continued from pg. 1
The annual festivities have been organized by the Tuscan American
Association, the International American League, the US Consulate General
and several American universities in collaboration with various public institutions from the City of Florence. Picnic-goers can expect speeches from
the Province President, Matteo Renzi, and the Mayor of the Municipality of
Vaglia. Honoured guests will include the Consul General of Florence, Nora
Dempsey, and various civil and military authorities of Florence and Tuscany.
The local Marshals’ School Band and the Sergeants’ squad of the Carabinieri military police will provide a touch of official fanfare, and guests will also
enjoy a traditional performance of Florentine Historical Soccer flag wavers.
Dance lovers will enjoy night performances by the Jarama Ballet choreographed by Queta Meja Rodrigues. Music will be provided by G. La Pira
Chorus in concert with Master Gianluca Serveri and the Black and White
Ensemble accompanied by Maestro Alessandro Coco. Reyoada will perform Latin-American dancing and jazz and the Fabbrica di Pongo will give
the audience a taste of traditional country rhythms. Football fans who wish
to congregate in the Villa’s Sala Rossa will be able to enjoy two World Cup
matches, broadcast on the maxi-screen at 6 pm and 9 pm.
Event sponsors include Ely Lilly, APT (Associazione Promozione Tourism
Firenze), The Florentine, Nuova Pignone, Calzoni In Colliva di Bologna, VM
Motori, Expeditor International Italia, CocaCola, McDonalds, Culligan, Fattoria Luiano, Azienda Agricola Casale di Riccardo Falchini, Balloon Express,
Scuola Equitazione Fiorentina, Castello Banfi, La Marzocco, Vivoli, Convivium, Comunità Montana del Mugello, Florsheim Europe, Syracuse University, Villa I Tatti, Rutgers University, and Mr Wolf Snc. Generous contributions have also been offered by Ente Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze, Banca
Toscana, Officine S. Maria Novella Firenze. Ticket price is 5 euro. Children
enter free. Please RSVP with full name, via email to july4fi[email protected]
For further information, please contact Francesco Bardazzi 328-611-6323.
Table of CONTENTS
NEWS
1 FLORENCE
Independence day
it happen again?
4 Could
Runway over the river
with a view
5 Fort
Street artists scrutinized
‘Just say no’ to alcohol to-go
NEWS
6 NATIONAL
Right-left tug-of-war
Prince of vice
NEWS
7 SPORT
Alonso slams fourth straight
win in Canadian GP
Fear for the Fiorentina
PICKS &
9 TOP
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Events Highlights
CLOSE & PERSONAL
14 UPAnGunnar
interview with
Peterson
& CUSTOMS
ITALIAN VOICES:
15 CULTURE
A Window on Language
and Customs in Italy
16 Forza Azzurri!!!
17 Raindrops kept falling
& FASHION
18 STYLE
Catching Vespa fever
ARTS
19 THE
‘Passion For Life’
& LEISURE
20 TRAVEL
Siena: city of colour
21 The Palio: ready, set, go
REVIEW
22 BOOK
Lasting Love, Politics
and Poetry
NUMBERS
CLASSIFIED ADS
23 USEFUL
4
News
Florence NEWS
News in BRIEF
Tip-toeing to Siena
In a recent environmental conference with participants from
Europe, Asia, the US and Australia, Siena’s Santa Maria della
Scala, became host to those
dedicated to learning how to ‘tiptoe’ more lightly on the planet.
The Footprint Forum 2006 Learn Share Connect, was sponsored by the University of Siena,
its Province, the Municipality of
Colle Val d’Elsa and the Italian
Naval Commission. Our current
annual demand for resources
exceeds the earth’s regenerative capacity by 23%. Whilst
Europe accounts for only 7% of
the world’s total population, it
uses 17% of its resources. The
Sienese conference presented
a in-depth study of Ecological Footprints and Biocapacity
Accounts, a widely used tool in
international policy-making which
measures how much land and
water area a population requires
to produce the resources it consumes and to absorb its wastes.
Art without borders
International art lovers shouldn’t
miss the Art exhibition “Art Without Borders” on display until
June 30 at the California State
Center in via Leopardi 12. The
exhibit is the celebratory culmination of the University’s
Summer Arts Program held in
Florence this June, attended by
American and Italian students
from the Fine Arts Academy of
Florence. The program, coordinated by prominent American
figurative artist Domenic Cretara, and included guest artists
of international prestige such as
Marsha Steinberg. For further
information contact: www.csusummerarts.org.
Let the sales begin
It’s almost ‘hunting’ season. Up
and down the boot, shoppers are
starting to scout out bargains at
mid-summer sales. Nationwide
sales season generally translates into a 40% markdown off
the original price in clothing
stores across the country. Each
town designates the day that the
sales begin. Milano and Turin
start their sales on July 1. July 7
is the big day for Genova, Bologna and Bari. Romans will hit the
shops on July 8. Local shoppers
will have to wait another two
weeks for tempting price tags.
Florence, along with Venice,
has scheduled the start of sales
season for July 15. According to
Italian law, during this six to eight
week period, all clothes displayed need a tag with original
and reduced prices and percent
of discount being applied.
Could it happen again?
Concerns still exist 40 years after Flood
F
amed throughout the world
for its gently rolling hills, many
people forget that the region
of Tuscany is also well-known for
its rivers and streams. Its waterways
stretch 22,575 square kilometres
throughout an area that boasts no
less than 273 large and small streams
and 13 bays. The Tuscan streams,
beautiful as they may be, prove particularly prone to low periods during the summer season and sudden
destructive high tides during autumn
and winter months. This natural tendency has earned Tuscany unfortunate notoriety for its frequent floods.
In terms of flood-related disasters,
Tuscany places third in the Italian
context with a total of 656 floods
plaguing regional history. The temperamental nature of the Po River
has earned Piemonte a record high
844 floods, while the Veneto region
claims second place with 767 floodrelated emergencies.
Giovanni Menduni, General Secretary of the Authorities of the Bacino since 2000 and author of over
200 publications, has recently published a new Dizionario dell’Arno,
an all-encompassing study that
spans over 40 years of history since
the flood of 1966. It is a compendium of people, places, stories,
culture, traditions surrounding the
history of Tuscany’s ‘silver river.’
The 442-page-work, published
last week by Edizioni Aida, starts
with the city’s efforts to protect the
historical centre and ends with an
in-depth study of mannerist artist
Federico Zuccai, painter of L’Arno
a Firenze, currently hosted at the
Louvre.
The Florentine popular consciousness easily returns to that
fateful November day in 1966 when
the Arno and its numerous tributaries proved incapable of supporting
the ebb and flow of nature’s unstoppable power. Exactly who or what
contributed to the magnitude of
nature’s wrath? Experts often cite
the public administration’s inability
to provide appropriate river maintenance. They also blame the inefficiency of hydraulic consortiums,
unprecedented deforestation, and
the presence of an excessive number of dredges. Evaluating the stability of the Arno basin continues
to be of primary interest, as critics
argue that the hydraulic characteristics of the river have remained
virtually unaltered since 1966. All
eyes turn to the authorities of the
Arno River Basin, who admit that
many more years and a lot more
money will be necessary before
implementation of the river maintenance plan approved in 1999. Its
main goal is to guarantee the security of at least 1,200 square meters
of the basin and the small and large
river-side towns that are still considered at risk.
Gas guzzlers
Local service stations suspected of fraud
L
ocal tax police visited 30
petrol stations in the Florentine area and came
away with disappointing news.
Their objective? To verify that
the quantity of petrol paid for by
motorists actually corresponds
to what ends up in the tank. Of
the service stations monitored,
only 3 achieved ‘up to par status.’ According to said investigation, in 85 percent of Florentine gas stations consumers risk
paying for more gas than their
cars actually receive. For a 50to-60-litre tank, this means that
on average drivers get half a litre
less than what shows up on the
distributor’s register. The service stations caught ‘cheating’
have been issued a ‘readjustment’ order and must pay for
a mandatory revision of their
service station and the certification of properly functioning equipment, before they will
be allowed to serve the public
again. The Union of Petrol Station Workers argues that the tax
police only visited 5 percent of
service stations in and around
Florence. They affirm that, overall, the system is quite regulated
and foresees yearly revisions
that should insure that all gas
pumps are working efficiently.
RUNWAY OVER
THE RIVER
Designer Roberto
Cavalli takes Florence
as his muse
‘T
he fashion world isn’t suffering
from an economic crisis,’ says
Florentine designer Roberto Cavalli,
‘it’s suffering from a creativity crisis.
I’d like us to stop being inspired by
the fashions of the ‘40s, ‘60s and
‘70s. It would be wonderful to finally
say that the fashion of the third millennium has invented something
new.’ And yet—new ideas for fashion
often sprout up in old places.
Ponte Vecchio recently served as
centre stage for one of Pitti Uomo’s
most awaited events. Roberto
Cavalli’s extraordinary show saw
Naomi Campbell in white and Afef
in black, as the two ladies opened
the gates of the evening’s elegance.
Five haute gowns a-piece for each
top-model, who led the procession of more than 40 pieces from
Cavalli’s menswear collection. ‘This
bridge profoundly influenced the
show,’ said Cavalli regarding the
collection’s originality. ‘I have always
remained a true Florentine and continue to love this city deeply. To be
honest, when they told me that we
would be able to hold the show
here, I felt a bit intimidated. I could
imagine the men of the past looking
down at me from the windows of
the Vasari Corridor, and as a result,
I re-created the entire collection. My
goal was to make it more sombre
and less showy, but also to achieve
a level of authenticity and masculinity. I wanted to make the line less
colourful. Usually if you put monochromatic fabrics into my hands I
don’t know what to do with them,
but I recognize that men often do
prefer darker shades.’
Florence’s most famous bridge
served as a worthy muse for the stylist, who admits, ‘I bowed down to
Ponte Vecchio, making sure music
wasn’t too loud, or the show’s flair
too extravagant. The bridge’s beauty
and Florence were enough.’ Against
a striking background, dandy men
in black jackets and trousers wore
dusty rose and violet collar shirts.
A flash of extra colour came from
scarves draped around their shoulders or knotted like ties. New deerskin moccasins and patent leather
shoes made for a perfect strut along
the city’s most beautiful bridge.
5
News
Florence NEWS
Fort with
a view
Belvedere opens its
gates to summer
T
here’s nothing like a bird’s
eye view of Florence at
dusk in one of the city’s
best-loved summer-time spots.
From now until August 31, the
Forte Belvedere will keep its
gates wide open from midday
to 2am and become stage to a
whole series of summer shows.
The ‘Forte Davvero’ calendar
boasts an original series of live
music and dance performances,
alternative cinema, theatre and
exhibitions.
During last week’s inauguration, Cultural Councillor Simone Siliani addressed the challenges of organizing an event
series of such magnitude. ‘We’ve
gone through some hard times
both in terms of organization
and logistics,’ Siliani admits. ‘The
Forte Belvedere is certainly one
of the most striking places in the
world, if not the most beautiful,
but it’s hard to manage and its
maintenance is quite expensive.
The City Council has made huge
efforts recently to give this place
back to the Florentines.’
When it comes to outdoor
entertainment, the fort is certainly the place to be. On June
29, audiences will gather for a
taste of tragedy with ‘Oedipus
the King,’ while ‘Romeo and
Juliet’ will repeatedly declare
their star-crossed love in performances on July 12, 14, 15
and 19. Giorgio Mancini has
choreographed the play to the
music of Sergej Prokof’ev. On
July 22 and 24, music-lovers
can listen to scores by composer John Adams in ‘Chairman Dances’ and ‘Words No
Longer Heard,’ choreographed
by Lucinda Childs and Giorgio
Mancini respectively. And every
night during the entire month of
August, cinema buffs can enjoy
free ‘cinema Atelier.’
STREET ARTISTS
SCRUTINIZED
City commission insures
painters are up to snuff
From June 15 to Sep 18, the
second floor of the fort’s palace
will host an exhibit, showing
241 works from Alberto della
Ragione’s private collection,
donated to the City of Florence in 1969. This series of
prestigious paintings and sculptures showcases the development of 20thcentury Italian art.
Two additional collections will
be displayed alongside della
Ragione’s masterpieces, namely
those of Filippo de Pisis and
Ottone Rosai.
Until Aug 31, fort-goers can
take advantage of a special
shuttle service that will provide transportation every fifteen minutes from 8pm to midnight. Shuttles depart from the
delle Murate car park on Viale
Giovine Italia.
‘Just say no’ to alcohol to-go
New law pressures San Lorenzo to shape up
Y
ou can enjoy any
drink you please,
as long as you
order and consume it
on the premises at one
of San Lorenzo’s neighbourhood bars and
pubs. In an ‘urgent ordinance’ issued by prefect
Andrea De Martino, it
is now illegal for pubs
to sell alcohol beverages to- go from 10pm
to closing time. This
city initiative, in effect
until the end of July, was
prompted by increasing
occurrences of drunken
brawls in the area. Martino’s stance has been
gladly received by San
Lorenzo’s citizens, who,
in recent months, have
repeatedly voiced pleas
for the city to ‘clean up
the neighbourhood.’
Police support is
being sent by Italy’s
national headquarters in
Rome to counteract the
micro criminality, illegal
commerce and random
acts of violence that
have begun exasperating both residents and
merchants throughout
the area. These 15 new
officers will strengthen
the 56-man squad that
already works in the
San Lorenzo neighbourhood on any given
day. The city of Florence
currently pays 1 million
euro per year for citywide urban police services.
Mayor Domenici has
taken advantage of the
San Lorenzo debate to
pose some serious questions to city administrators. ‘We have to realize
that we need to find
alternative
resources
to support the urban
guards. To me, it seems
right that even people
who come as visitors
from out of town contribute to supporting
safety in the city. I propose that part of the
money needed for public security come from
external sources.’ The
talk goes back to the socalled tourist tax, known
as the ‘contributo di
scopo,’ which would be
used to maintain, clean
and safeguard the city.
F
lorence welcomes them in hoards—artists and
artisans, both local and foreign, to whom this
city represents their eternal muse of creativity.
But among the summertime crowds that come
to feast on cultural treats, is there still room in the
vias and piazzas for these street painters? Perhaps. But only the most talented, please.
In a totally new beauty-based initiative, Palazzo Vecchio has decided to give a city-sponsored exam to the painters and portrait artists
who populate Piazza Duomo and the entire historical centre. From now on, anyone who wishes
to show their works on the turf supplied by the
City will have to be scrutinized and approved by
a city council committee intent on evaluating the
originality and genuine quality of the paintings
displayed. In efforts to support emerging talent,
the City of Florence has also decided to make 10
percent of the street-vending spaces available
to artists under 26 years old, those who have
recently graduated from local art institutes. These
young artists will be judged by a commission of
three art experts specialized in painting, graphic
arts and photo and computer design and layout.
One hundred forty coveted spots dot the
historical centre: seven can be found on the
Ponte Vecchio and 30 slices of space line Piazza
Duomo. Twenty places are located in Piazza Pitti,
18 in Santa Croce, 10 spots grace Piazzale
Michelangelo and Piazza della Repubblica, while
up to 30 art-corners crowd Piazzale degli Uffizi.
The lucky artists who earn city-approved space
are obligated to display a sign with their logo,
licence and concession expiration date. Threat of
license revocation looms over artists who display
their works without exhibiting these mandatory
details.
CAN EUTHANASIA COME OUT OF THE CLOSET?
Florentine doctors plead for parliamentary support
F
lorentine doctors are taking
action against clandestine euthanasia. Antonio Panti, president of the
Order of Florentine Physicians, has
joined forces with 30 local doctors in
support of a petition promoted by the
Luca Cosioni Association for Freedom of Scientific Research. These
physicians have requested that the
Italian government and parliament
carry out in-depth research regarding the phenomenon of clandestine
euthanasia in Italy. ‘We urgently need
to gather reliable data on a national
level,’ says Giulia Simi, Vice Secretary
of the Luca Coscioni Association.
‘Reliable statistics would allow us to
inform citizens and spark a serious
and in-depth debate on clandestine
euthanasia, a problem that has often
been denounced by Health Minister
Umberto Veronesi,’ Simi continues.
Availability of life-saving medical treatment has allowed patients
to live longer in what many people
consider ‘unacceptable conditions.’
This phenomenon has given rise to
ethical issues and debates regard-
ing personal freedoms throughout
the world, and Italy has proven to
be no exception. Supporters of the
local petition found a governmentsponsored research model in studies carried out in Holland in 1990.
Results showed the widespread use
of illegal euthanasia by both doctors
and relatives. Local petitioners affirm
that the political debate which arose
from this data proved instrumental
in the development of much-needed
regulatory norms regarding the phenomenon.
6
News
National NEWS
News in BRIEF
Mafia crackdown in Sicily
Italian police arrested 45 people
in an anti-Mafia raid last week,
including top bosses who had
allegedly been in touch with Bernardo Provenzano, the reputed
top boss apprehended earlier this
year. The operation involved 500
police officers and dismantled the
top tiers of Palermo syndicates.
Suspects have been charged with
Mafia association and extortion.
Piero Grasso, national anti-Mafia
prosecutor, said that wiretapped
conversations among top mobsters gave a very clear picture of
the Sicilian Mafia.
Desperate measures to
clear calcio’s conscience
Italians Sports Minister Giovanna
Melandri said Friday that Italian soccer’s rulebook must be
overhauled if the scandal-ravaged game is to regain credibility. Melandri said she will start a
series of talks next month with figures from the sports world to discuss what rule changes should be
made. The minister was speaking
at the presentation of a report by
the Independent European Sports
Review, which addresses a number of soccer-related issues. The
Review, set up by the British presidency of the EU last year, proposes a series of measures which
include the foundation of a European Agency for Sport and a new
Europe-wide tax on sports betting.
Measures would also establish
more robust checks over transfer
dealings and initiatives to divert
more of the money generated by
the Champions League to grassroots soccer.
Smog: Italy’s greatest
serial killer
Smog, dust particles and ozone
kill nearly 9,000 Italians a year,
according to a study published
last week by the World Health
Organization. The report, commissioned by Italy’s Environmental
Protection Agency, looked at 13
Italian cities and found that air pollution is playing an increasingly
alarming role in the development
of a wide variety of diseases. Air
pollutant levels were over the EU
safety limits at least 35 days last
year in most of the cities looked
at. ‘Only six of Italy’s 20 regions
have produced a required plan on
air quality and only two of these
have been approved by the EU so
far,’ said Italy’s new environmental
minister Alfonso Scanio.
��
� � ��
Right-left tug-of-war
Constitutional reform becomes
battleground for political showdown
I
n a boost for Premier Romano
Prodi, Italians on Monday
rejected sweeping constitutional
and devolutionary reforms drawn
up by the government of his predecessor, Silvio Berlusconi. The final vote tally
showed that 61.7% were
against the reforms, which
would have strengthened
the powers of the premier
and introduced greater
autonomy for Italy’s 20
regions. The ‘no’ vote
won in all regions except
the northern, centre-right
strongholds of Lombardy and the
Veneto. Turnout in the referendum
was unexpectedly high at 53.6%,
with more people voting in the north
than in the south.
Prodi and his nine-party coalition
had urged Italians to throw out the
amendments approved by Berlusconi’s government in November 2005.
Since the amendments did not gain
the two-thirds support in parliament
needed for legislation affecting the
1948 Constitution, they could not
have been implemented unless Italians approved them. Prodi expressed
his satisfaction on Monday, stressing that cross-party consensus was
required for such important reforms.
‘It is now our duty to open dialogue
with all political parties and discuss
together the adjustments that should
be made to the Constitution,’ said
the centre-left leader.
Some members of the centre left
had feared high turnout in the north,
where 60.35% of those eligible voted
compared to 42.6% in the south,
could swing the vote in Berlusconi’s favour because of
the devolutionary aspect.
The reforms would have
devolved greater powers
to Italy’s regions in the
areas of health, education and local policing.
These amendments were
key conditions set by the
small federalist Northern
League for maintaining its
support for Berlusconi’s government
and appealed to many voters in the
more affluent regions of the north.
The reforms would transformed the
Senate into a federal rather than
legislative body. They also would
have increased the powers of the
premier, making the head of government a directly elected figure with
the power to hire and fire ministers,
propose that parliament be dissolved
and call elections.
The government was staunchly
opposed to the overhaul, arguing
that Italy’s underdeveloped southern regions would be penalised by
the devolutionist part. It also said
the other measures would have created a too-powerful premier-ship,
weakened parliament and risked
lengthening legislative procedures
by creating conflicts between the
chambers of parliament.��
Indecent proposals
Sex scandals stain Italian public television
I
taly’s public television station RAI
has launched an internal investigation into charges it helped a powerful political figure reward young
women with broadcast appearances
in exchange for sexual favours, an
Italian daily reported Monday. ‘We
cannot put our head in the sand. We
will talk about it in our board meeting,’ RAI President Claudio Petruccioli told the daily Repubblica.
The accusation that Salvatore
Sottile, spokesman for right-wing
politician Gianfranco Fini, enjoined
the station’s vice director of human
resources to give the women air
time surfaced in a prosecutor’s statement which led to last week’s arrest
of Prince Vittorio Emanuele. ‘The
means by which Salvatore Sottile
took advantage of his position to
obtain sexual favours from young
women...while holding out the prospect of securing them roles or participation in RAI programs is discon-
certing,’ the investigative magistrate
in Potenza wrote.
Sottile is suspected of being part
of the Prince’s alleged criminal network. Several Italian newspapers
published transcripts Monday of
wiretapped conversations in which
Sottile discusses with the RAI
executive – sometimes in a sexually
explicit and scabrous manner –the
women he is proposing for roles in
broadcasts. ‘This story is really sordid, but at least it might serve as a
trigger for an overhaul of entertainment programming on Italian public
television,’ the secretary of the Usigrai Labour Union at RAI said.
The presence of scantily-clad
models on a wide variety of Italian
programs, including game and talk
shows, and musical variety programs,
provokes frequent debate in Italy,
and was criticized in 2005 by the
United Nations special committee
on discrimination against women.
PRINCE
OF VICE
Son of last
Italian king
arrested
P
rince Vittorio Emanuele of
Savoy was jailed last week
in the southern city of Potenza
in connection with a prostitution
and corruption probe, and was
questioned by investigating magistrates last Tuesday. The 69-yearold prince’s lawyer, Lodovico Isolabella, told reporters afterwards
that he was ‘very satisfied’ with
the way the questioning went.
The prince, the son of Italy’s last
king, was arrested along with 12
other suspects and is accused of
recruiting prostitutes from Eastern Europe for a casino in Campione d’Italia, an Italian enclave
in Switzerland. Vittorio Emanuele
is also accused of corruption in
connection with the obtaining of
licences and supply contracts for
rigged gambling machines procured by Sicilian businessman
Rocco Migliardi.
The prince, who initially denied
all wrongdoing, was accused of
using his high-level contacts to
help sell the video poker games
to the Campione Casino and
countries including Libya. Prosecutors also suspect him of links
with Mafia clans. Migliardi was
also arrested on Friday together
with the prince’s secretary, and
Venetian
businessman
Ugo
Bonazza. Six other suspects
were placed under house arrest,
including Salvatore Sottile, the
spokesman of former foreign minister Gianfranco Fini who heads
the rightist National Alliance (AN)
party.
The prince’s son, Emanuele
Filiberto of Savoy, repeatedly protested against his father’s arrest.
He has accused the prosecutor
in charge of the case, Henry John
Woodcock, of seeking publicity.
The Neapolitan prosecutor has a
reputation for launching high-profile cases, not all of which, however, have resulted in trials. On Friday, last week, Vittorio Emanuele
finally admitted to being guilty of
taking bribes and being involved
in various levels of ‘exploitation.’
He was granted house-arrest in
a 200 square meter flat in Rome,
as he awaits trial.
Italy’s former royal family was
banished in 1946 following a
national referendum establishing
the Republic, their name tainted
by links of Emanuele’s grandfather, Vittorio Emanuele III, with
Fascism.�The male members of
the Savoy family were subsequently banned from entering
Italy by the 1948 Constitution. In
November 2002, the Italian parliament lifted the ban.�
7
Sports
Sports NEWS
Cycling:
Formula 1:
Alonso slams fourth straight
win in Canadian GP
T
his was the race during which
Michael Schumacher was supposed to close the gap on Fernando Alonso in the chase for the
Formula 1 championship. After all,
Schumacher has won the Canadian
Grand Prix seven times. Alonso has
never had anything but trouble at
the Circuit Gilles Villeneueve. None
of that mattered Sunday—Alonso
drove his Renault to an easy victory for his fourth consecutive win.
The Spaniard has six victories this
season and 15 straight top-three
finishes. Alonso had failed to finish the Canadian GP in three of his
previous four races, including last
year when he crashed while leading. This time, his only problem
was staying focused despite leading
by almost 25 seconds in the closing
laps. The reigning world champion
stretched his lead to 25 points over
Schumacher, who passed Kimi Raikkonen with one lap to go to finish
second. Raikkonen wound up third.
They now head to Indianapolis for
the United States Grand Prix, which
Schumacher won last season after
Alonso and 13 other drivers boycotted because of concern over tire
safety. But Alonso has struggled during F1’s North American swing but
hopes for better results next week.
Schumacher, the seven-time
world champion, has been hesitant
to put too much importance on this
two-race stretch in regards to the
overall title. That didn’t change even
after Alonso picked up another two
points. Alonso, who started from the
pole, had only a brief challenge from
Raikkonen early in the race but held
Series A
Fear for the Fiorentina
Anxious fans await sports trail verdict
A
s the nation gathers around maxiscreens in piazzas and parks all
over the country, local soccer fans
continue to wait with baited breath
even after the national matches are
over. While Italy is out rooting for
the national ‘Blue team,’ Florentines
are busy worrying about their own
local colour. Recent scandals in the
football world have made the Violet
team’s future uncertain. Last week,
federal prosecutor Palazzi disqualified the Fiorentina in accordance
with an official document issued by
the FICG (Italian Football Game
Federation) Commissioner, Giudo
Rossi.
Rossi confirmed that 30 parties
have been found guilty of violating Articles 1 and 6 of the Code of
Sports Justice. Juventus, Lazio, and
Milan have been mentioned for
similar violations. Infringement of
Article 1 refers to fairness within
the match, and sanctions range from
penalty points to trophy revocation.
Photograph Florence..and Fly to SARDEGNA!!
Send your photo to info@theflorentine.net
Each week Ryanair will be offering two round trip tickets
Pisa-Alghero (Sardinia), which will be awarded to the
photographer of the “Pic of the Week”.
The winner will be chosen by The Florentine editorial staff
...and the winner is...
author:
Eugenia Solopova title: Piazza Duomo’s life
off the Finn’s attempt to pass him on
the 12th lap. Raikkonen had a horrible day in the pits, having trouble
on a tire change during his first
stop and stalling his McLaren on
another, preventing him from challenging Alonso again. He was then
passed by Schumacher with one lap
to go. But Schumacher also had a
rough day and never tested Alonso.
He drove his Ferrari off course once,
brushed the wall and cut across
the curve on the final turn several
times to take him out of contention.
Even though he won the pole—his
fifth in a row—he expected a challenge from Schumacher and Ferrari
team-mate Felipe Massa for the victory. Giancarlo Fisichella, Alonso’s
team-mate at Renault, was fourth
and Massa was fifth. Jarno Trulli
scored his first points of the season
with a sixth-place finish for Toyota.
Nick Heidfeld was seventh for Williams and David Coulthard came in
eighth after starting last because he
changed his engine before the race.
Jenson Button was eighth in a Honda
and American Scott Speed was 10th.
Jacques Villeneuve finished 16th on
the track named for his late father.
He was heading to at least seventh
place when he crashed into the wall
with 11 laps to go.
Breaching Article 6 is considered
more serious as the law refers to illegal activities in sports. In addition
to penalties, infringement includes
demotion to lowest ranking position or to a lower class series. The
Violet football club is being accused
of unfair play in five games: LazioFiorentina,
Bologna-Fiorentina,
Chievo-Fiorentina, Fiorentina-Atalanta, and Lecce-Parma. Prosecutor Palazzi also disqualified Diego
and Andrea della Valle and delegate
administrator of the Fiorentina,
Sandro Mencucci. Fans fear their
team may be forced down to Series
B. The verdict will be issued as the
result of a month-long sports trial,
scheduled to end on July 20.
LEMOND ACCUSES,
‘Lance threatened me’
I
n an interview with French sports
daily L’Equipe, three-time Tour
de France winner Greg LeMond
has claimed Lance Armstrong
threatened him after criticising his
involvement with a doctor linked
with a drugs scandal. LeMond, who
in 1986 became the first American
to win the Tour de France, stated
‘he (Armstrong) threatened my wife,
my business, my life.’ LeMond had
previously tried to steer Armstrong
clear of working with Italian doctor Michele Ferrari who was at the
centre of a drugs scandal in 2004,
and who LeMond now considers to
have been proven to have been ‘a
negative influence on cycling.’ The
American, who turned 45 last week,
also hit out at the current state of
cycling, saying that the problem of
doping in cycling goes far beyond
just Lance Armstrong.
Sailing:
FINAL COUNTDOWN
IN VALENCIA
I
t’s the penultimate dress rehearsal
before the final showdown for the
America’s Cup in 2007 as Act XII of
the Louis-Vuitton Cup gets underway in Valencia on Friday. Alinghi,
sailing in its port of call for its title
defence next year, will have one last
look at its 11 challengers. Kicking
off in Marseilles in 2004, the 32nd
edition of the world’s oldest continuing sporting event has for the first
time played out over four years with
only an Act XIII to follow next April
before the Louis-Vuitton one year
from now, followed by the America’s
Cup where the challenger will take
on the Swiss boat. Some, like BMW
Oracle (USA), Luna Rossa (ITA),
Shosholoza (AFS) or Emirates Team
New Zealand (NZL) already have
new boats. For others, like Alinghi
and Mascalzone Latino, it’s still too
early to unveil their new model. Even
though SUI 91 was christened last
month, Ernesto Bertarelli prefers
to continue sailing on SUI 75 with
Peter Holmberg at the helm.
8
Movie REVIEWS
Movies in English showing in Florence
Weeks June 29- July 13 2006
by James Douglas
Thursday June 29
Monday July 10
Monday July 3
Thursday July 6
ODEON THEATRE
ODEON THEATRE
ODEON THEATRE
THE DA VINCI CODE
X-MEN: THE LAST STAND
THE LAKE HOUSE
Tom Hanks as cryptologist Robert
Langdon is on auto-pilot and does
little to sustain interest. Audrey
Tautou as his bland investigative
side-kick, Sophie, trails along,
speaking zombie English and providing ornament in the place of the
love interest the story lacks. Only
the dry wit and underplayed villainy of Ian McKellen as Sir Leigh,
and Paul Bettany’s stunningly
demented menacing mad monk
Silas save Ron Howard’s movie
The Da Vinci Code from the
pedestrian and the mundane. Dan
Brown’s novel, based on a dodgy
premise and a determination to
scandalise believers with vaguely
plausible mumbo-jumbo, at least
had the pace and verve of a sensible thriller. The movie is slack,
plodding and mediocre. Everyone
on the planet will see it.
If you’re different from the
rest of humanity,
you’re marginalised, oppressed,
despised,
but
you’re also special, and if somebody came up with
a cure for your condition, would you
take it? This is the premise of the
third in the X-Men trilogy, X-Men:
The Last Stand, entrusted to Brett
Ratner (Bryan Singer having jumped
ship for the new Superman movie).
The cast, however remains intact,
with the addition of Kelsey Grammer
as The Beast caught in the crossfire
as Professor Charles Xavier (‘the
socialist’) and Magneto (‘the Darwinist’) go head to head in this actionpacked allegorical fantasy that has
more than a little to say about current global political initiatives and the
state of human affairs. And there’s
Wolverine to relish too…
Time travel and dangling conversations (rather too often about architecture) characterise Alejandro Agresti’s The Lake House, a remake
of Korean director Hyun-seung Lee’s Siworae (2000), with Sandra Bullock as the doctor and Keanu Reeves as the architect. In time zones two
years apart, the middle-aged professional loners conduct their romance
in voice-over readings of letters never sent or yet to be sent. Or something
Tuesday July 11
ODEON THEATRE
ODEON THEATRE
UNITED 93
RV: RUNAWAY VACATION
Tuesday July 4
ODEON THEATRE
ROMANCE & CIGARETTES
John Turturro’s ‘savage musical’
Romance & Cigarettes puts
New York working man Nick Murder (James Gandolfini) into a classic
love triangle with long-suffering wife
Kitty (Susan Sarandon) and saucy
seductress Tula (Kate Winslet). With
the addition of song and dance routines that derive from the scraps and
leftovers of the music that plays in
the soundtracks of our lives, a period
New York setting and the freedom to
indulge in a crudity of language denied to filmmakers of the time, Turturro’s third film as director (he also wrote it) aims for a sophisticated
audience. It had a mixed reaction at Cannes, variously seen as muddled,
vulgar, experimental, edgy, soapy and not quite successful.
Thursday July 13
On September 11, 2001 United
93 was the fourth plane hijacked,
and the one intended to wreak
havoc on the Capitol. Paul Greengrass’s film United 93 perhaps
surprisingly manages to deal effectively, sensitively and thrillingly with
the horrors of that day, the mutiny
of the passengers and the struggle
to avert death and destruction on
an almost unimagined scale. With
a documentary truthfulness, helped
by its real time frame, the movie
has an authentic feel and is a timely
and sobering reminder of 9/11, the
kind of movie that does Hollywood
proud, despite (or because of) its
long tradition of ‘gratuitous’ disaster epics that never quite ring true.
Summer family fun with Robin Williams and co. in Barry Sonnenfeld’s
RV. Depending where you are, this
can stand for recreational vehicle or runaway vacation or both.
Dysfunctional non-campers are
taken on a camping trip, have lots
of cheesy adventures, gross out
with fountains of excrement, injudicious immersions in the wild, and
side-splitting vehicle runaway situations. Rated PG in US and UK for
crude language and innuendo. Will
a Robin Williams vehicle ever again
be a runaway success?
9
What’s on & Where to Go
Events in FLORENCE
mbership card necessary
OUR TOP PICKS
t tt
THE MEDICI MONTH - All of July
The Medici Month, currently in its fourth year, has become one of the most popular events of the
summer and combines art history, and entertainment. It includes a packed cultural calendar that
reveals the history of Florence through anecdotes of the Medici family during their three centuries
of Florentine rule. The Medici Month remembers both well-known and more mysterious Medici,
casting them as characters in original theatre plays. These fresh and exciting theatrical events find
their natural stage throughout the city in the churches, gardens, and palace halls that were created
or loved by the Medici family. In addition to theatre, the Medici Month includes guided visits and
conferences hosted by important Florentine personalities which allow aficionados to get to know
the history, lifestyles and art that have made this family essential to the Florentine identity. For info
and a full calendar of events: www.mesemediceo.it
INDEPENDENCE DAY - July 1
Independence Day is arriving early this year at the Parco di Villa Demidoff in Pratolino,
an event which celebrates the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of the USA
signed in 1776. A great place for family and friends to gather for barbecue and baseball
games, live music performances and relay races. Organizers include the Tuscan American
Association, the Tuscan-American league, various American universities hosted in Florence
and several of the city’s Regional and Provincial offices. For more information write to:
july4fi[email protected]
OLTRARNO STREET FESTIVAL - June 28 - July 29
This neighbourhood music festival presents a series of live music concerts and various artistic
performances from June 28 to July 28. The festival takes place in the heart of the city in Piazza
della Passera, one of the most colourful neighbourhood piazzas in Florence, situated just steps
from Palazzo Pitti and Via Maggio. Shows start at 9:30 pm and cover the entire musical spectrum
from jazz and Latin jazz, to Brazilian tunes, rock, pop blues and funky sounds. Piazza-goers can
also appreciate New York jazz and Samba jazz with legendary pianist Blue Note, composer of the
soundtrack from the celebrated series ‘Sex and the City.’ From July 3 to 18 audiences can enjoy
the ironic theatre of Florentine actress Roberta Di Bartolome who will be presenting two comedy
monologues throughout the month. The area’s shops, cafés, and restaurants will prolong their
opening hours during the music festival. For more information call: 055 2645356
OPERA FESTIVAL 2006 - From June to August
This summer the magnificent Boboli Garden and the beautiful Medici Villa of Cafaggiolo in
Barberino di Mugullo will be hosts to some of the most celebrated operas in the world. G. Bizet’s
Carmen and La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi will be performed on outdoor stages complete with
striking and innovative set designs. The Opera Festival also includes a series of symphonic concerts
including music by C. Orff, Carmina Burana and The Four Seasons masterpiece by Vivaldi. For
more information see www.festivalopera.it or call 055-5979005/ 210804
VINTAGE SELECTION - July 5-8
From July 6-9, during the Pitti Filati Exhibition, Stazione Leopolda’s Spazio Alcatraz will
host the Summer edition of Vintage Selection. This trade-fair is dedicated to vintage fashion,
accessories and vintage furniture. 25 of the most important Italian and foreigner fashion
designers will display their best creations during this 3-day post-modern exhibit. From 10 in
the morning till 11 at night, collectors and fashion-obsessed shoppers will be able to search
for strange dresses, eccentric shoes, bags, belts, hats, trinkets, military uniforms, jeans and
sportswear. The clothes have been collected primarily between the 30’s and the 80’s and all
coming from used or dead-stocks. Brands on display include Chanel, Pierre Cardin, Emilio
Pucci, Roberta di Camerino, Christian Dior, Balenciaga, and Gucci. The exhibition also
includes a fun section called ‘Vintage Kids’ which showcases the history of kids’ fashions
during the 60’s and 70’s. For more information see: www.stazione-leopolda.com
MERCANTIA - Certaldo, July 11-16
Mercantia, is a Medieval theatre festival and market, celebrated in Certaldo, that has become
one of the most symbolic cultural festivals in Tuscany. Famous for its originality and unique
form, the festival was started in 1988 by the City of Certaldo. For five nights every July,
the streets and squares of this Medieval Village come alive with the magic of the ‘Teatro da
Quattro Soldi’. Jugglers, clowns, puppeteers and acrobats join fire-eaters, fakirs, magicians
and musicians for an unmatchable theatrical extravaganza. Groups of artists come from
every part of Italy and abroad to participate in this unforgettable ‘uninterrupted street show.’
For more information visit: www.mercantiacertaldo.it
SUMMER NIGHTS - From June to September
Enjoy numerous events sponsored by the City Council and various neighbourhood districts.
Every night in piazzas, palaces and gardens throughout Florence, city-dwellers can chose
between theatre, dance, music, art and culture. Check the Ongoing ‘Summer Nights’ section
for news on different events. Those inspired to treat themselves to an evening away can also
find a ‘Summer Nights’ section in the Out of Town events column.
40th Anniversary
of Florence Flood
Do you have a story to tell about the Flood of 1966?
Were you a mud angel or do you know one?
Do you have photos of those days in Florence?
The Florentine is preparing a special edition
for the Flood’s 40th anniversary
Distributed all over the world in September.
Write to: the_flood@theflorentine.net
JUN 30 TO JUL 13
FRIDAY 30
n COURSES
Katia Beni
Cabaret
Piazzale Michelangelo, www.comune.fi.it,
info 055-27681, 22.32
Intensive summer courses in Painting
and Drawing
The California State Summer Arts Program,
California State Center on via G. Leopardi
12
SUNDAY 2
n DANCE
n DANCE
Schiavi
Motus Danza, www.chille.it
Area San Salvi, Via S. Salvi 12, info
055.6236195, 21.00, € 5,00
n GUIDED TOURS
Recently restored frescoes by Domenico del Ghirlandaio in the Sassetti
Cappella
Tour by Akropolis cultural association
Chiesa di Santa Trinita, p.za Santa Trinita,
info 055-461428, 16.00
Welcome to Art
Meetings in the evening twice a week for
strangers living in Florence
Until June 30 MUDI Museo degli Innocenti, piazza SS. Annunziata 12, tel.
0552037308
n MUSIC & CONCERTS
Quartetto Perseo
Opera Festival 2006
Giardino di Boboli, p.za Pitti, www.festivalopera.it, info 055-5979005, 21:00 sale at
Box Office
Festival Amadeus
Orchestra of the Amsterdam University
Camerata Choir and Liberatore Choir music by Mozart
Chiesa di S. Stefano al Ponte Vecchio info
055597026
Quartetto Perseo
Opera Festival 2006
Giardino di Boboli, p.za Pitti, Grotta del
Buontalenti, www.festivalopera.it, info 0555979005 / 210804, Box Office for tickets,21.00
Mens Sana Trio
Caruso Jazz Café, via Lambertesca,
14/16r, www.carusojazzcafe.com, info 055281940, 21.30
n THEATRE (in Italian unless otherwise noted)
La Mandragola Machiavellica 2006
Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Via del Proconsolo, 4, info 333-2284784,ticket €15
on sale 1hour bifore the show, 21.15
Lucio Caizzi
Cabaret
info 055-27681, 22.33
SATURDAY 1
n GUIDED TOURS
Ancient Walls of Florence, The Medici
Month
Visit to wall fortification designed by Michelangelo. Tour led by Cristina Porciani
www.mesemediceo.it, info 055-6120205,
n MARKETS & FESTIVALS
Independence Day 2006. Picnic organized
by the Tuscan American Association
This is a really nice, well-attended event. It
is a wonderful chance to meet people,
catch up with people you haven’t seen in a
while, and enjoy a beautiful venue
Villa Demidoff (Via Bolognese; take bus
25A & get out at Pratolino) from 5 p.m. onward. €5.00 cover charge includes food,
drink (barbeque & beer are extra), sports &
music; children under 12 get in free.
n MUSIC & CONCERTS
Egberto Gismonti
Vivere Jazz Festival
Teatro Romano, via Portigiani 1, Fiesole,
Box Office, toll free 800 414240, 21.15
Mens Sana Trio
See June 30
Magic Steps by Lisa Parra and Fabio
Prudetti
Recital of the Scuole di danza Fiorentine
Rampe di Piazza Poggi , San Niccolò, info
349-2384360,, 22.00
n MUSIC & CONCERTS
Michela Lombardi Quintet
See July 1, 6.30 pm
Bollani, Bodilsen, Lund Trio
See July 1, 9 pm
Dado Moroni Quartet
Nuova arena Cave di Maiano, See July 1,
11.30 pm
n SPORTS & ACTIVITIES
Trotting race
Ippodromo Le Mulina, tel. 0554226076,
www.ippocity.com
Il Mercante di Venezia
Shakespeare, Archètipo Company
See July 1
MONDAY 3
n CINEMA
X MEN: The Last Stand
Odeon CineHall, piazza Strozzi, tel.
055.214068, www.cinehall.it, Shows 6.008.15-10.30 pm
Brian of Nazareth by Monty Python
Cineteca di Firenze via reginaldo giuliani
357, info 055,450749, 21,45, 5€
n EXHIBITS
Contrappunto
Painting exhibition by Lisa Wade
See Ongoing
n MUSIC & CONCERTS
Carla Bley
See July 1, 9.15 pm
Szymanowski Quartet
Classical music
Badia Fiesolana, Via dei Roccettini 9 ,S.
Domenico, Fiesole, info 055-401115 www.
nuovieventimusicali.it, free, 21.00
Patty Diphusa, Comedy dialogues by
Pedro Almodovar
Oltrarno Street Festival
piazza della Passera, info 055-2645356,
21.30
Villa Fabbricotti Summer 2006
Theatre shows
See ongoing
Riso olimpico
See ongoing at Villa Fabbricotti Estate
2006
TUESDAY 4
n CINEMA
Romance & Cigarettes
n GUIDED TOURS
Discovering Ancient Cafaggio
Tour by Akropolis cultural association, Arch
Lara Mercanti
meeting point in piazza SS. Annunziata front
of the church, 17,30 info 055.461428
MUSIC & CONCERTS
n THEATRE (in Italian unless otherwise noted) n
Concert for San Romolo, Choir and Or-
Palazzo Pitti, Grotta del Buontalenti, €9
box office, www.archetipoac.it, info 0556530729, 21.30
chestra Cantica Nova
Music by Bach, Beethoven, Mozart
See July 3, 9.30 pm
10
Events in FLORENCE
JUN 30 TO JUL 13
n THEATRE (in Italian unless otherwise noted) n MUSIC & CONCERTS
Shakespeare, Archètipo company
See July 3
Il visitatore
Teatro del Sale, via dei Macci 111r,
[email protected], info 055 2001492,
21.30
Sergio Ricci
Cabaret
info 055-27681, 22.31
WEDNESDAY 5
n LECTURES & CONFERENCES
Celebration to commemorate the
200th anniversary of the birth of Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Events at the Harold Acton Library 5th July
(last Cultural Program lecture)
British Institute of Florence, Lungarno Guicciardini 9, tel. 055.26778270,
free
admission,15.00
Reading
of
‘Casa
Guidi
Windows’
poem
17.00 Visit to Casa Guidi, piazza San Felice,
8, 18.00 Lecture ‘An Old Yellow Book: the
death and burial of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’ given by Sister Julia Bolton Holloway
TVJ The Virtual Job
European project TVJ for the online job research
Piazza Ghiberti (S. Ambrogio area) www.
firenzesummerfest.it, 19.00
n MUSIC & CONCERTS
The Parsons Dance Company
17° Florence Dance Festival
Teatro Romano, via Portigiani 1, Fiesole,
info 055-289276, www.florencedance.org,
Circuito Box Office, 9.15 pm
Il visitatore
See July 4
Andrea Agresti
Cabaret
info 055-27681, 22.30
THURSDAY 6
n CINEMA
The Lake House
n DANCE
Flamenco Show
by ‘Fundaciòn Flamenca Andaluza’ Academy of Flamenco Dance
A.C.F.Art Center Florence, Via Ghibellina
92r, tel. 055 2478864, 5 PM, www.artcenterflorence.it
n GUIDED TOURS
Special Opening of Maria Maddalena de’ Medici’s Corridor, The Medici
Month
¬ 10, 2
Walking to Forte Belvedere, discovering the Florentine “Coasts”
meeting point on Ponte Vecchio at Cellini
place, 21.00 to 22.30 info 055.461428
Florence free tours with Ataf
Five extraordinary nights with Florence Art,
Florence free tours with Ataf, to celebrate
the 60th company birthday, ATAF offers
free guided tour to Florence main masterpiece for the holder of Agile Card, and of
the new Firenze Passepartour ATAF, tel.
0552710765, www.ataf.net
Mozart, Schumann, Shostakovich Musical Moments. Meeting
July 6 at 5 pm, Villa Schifanoia, Fiesole, info
055409373, www.nuovieventimusicali.org
Flower market
Via Pellicceria, only in the morning
Nassrin
piazza della passera, info 055-2645356,
21.30
Carmen
Opera Festival 2006
Giardino di Boboli, p.za Pitti, www.festivalopera.it, info 055-5979005, 21:00 sale at
Box Office
Fafà de Belem
Saschall, Lungarno A. Moro 3, 42€ box office, 21.30
10ª O Flos Colende
Sacred music concert
Battistero e Cattedrale di Santa Maria del
Fiore, info 055-2302885, ore 21.15 free
Stefano Scodanibbio, The sound of
the soul
Museo Marino Marini, p.za S. Pancrazio,
www.firenzestate.com, info 055-695000,
21.00, free
Six-nation sports fishing trophy Trofeo
See July 7
Fiorentina Baseball VS Rangers Baseball Club
Game 1 at 3.30 pm, Game 2 at 8.30 pm
Cerreti Baseball Stadium , Viale Manfredo
Fanti 18
n SUMMER NIGHTS
Florence as it was
Special opening, Le Notti dell’Archeologia
Museo Storico Topografico, via dell’Oriuolo 24, info 055 2616545, gestione.
musei@comune.fi.it, 21,00-24,00
Collection of Egyptian archeological
artifacts
Special opening, Le Notti dell’Archeologia
Museo Stibbert, via Federico Stibbert 26,
tel. 055.486069, www.comune.fi.it, 21,0024,00, reduced entrance price
Trotting race
See July 2
Niki Giustini
Cabaret
info 055-27681, 22.33
FRIDAY 7
SUNDAY 9
Accademia dei Georgofili, lectures and
seminars/workshops
July 7 Accademia dei Georgofili, Logge Uffizi Corti, info 055212114, www.georgofili.it
All Out, Watermelon party
Centro Commerciale Naturale Borgo La
Croce Piazza Beccarla, info 055.2767621,
19.00-23.00
S. Spirito Fair
Piazza S. Spirito info 055-3283550
n MUSIC & CONCERTS
Micha Van Hoecke Ensemble
17° Florence Dance Festival
See July 5
10ª O Flos Colende
Mozart Concert, Chorus Sine Nomine
Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, p.za
Duomo, info 055-2302885, 21.15 free
Six-nation sports fishing trophy
Austria, Germany, Luxemburg, Holland,
Switzerland and Italy
Arno River, Via Sogliani (on the left side of
Ponte alla Vittoria)
Paolo Migone
Cabaret
info 055-27681, 22.33
MONDAY 10
n CINEMA
The Da Vinci Code
055.214068, www.cinehall.it, Shows 6.309.30pm
n MUSIC & CONCERTS
Piano Recital
Giardino di Boboli, p.za Pitti, Grotta del
Buontalenti, www.festivalopera.it, info 0555979005 / 210804, Box Office for tickets,21.00
Simone Graziano Trio
Jazz
Trotting race
See July 2
n THEATRE (in Italian unless otherwise noted) n THEATRE (in Italian unless otherwise noted)
See July 2
La Bettola Toscana Show
Cabaret
Rampe di Piazza Poggi , San Niccolò,
22.00
Come in America
Show details on www.zauberteatro.com
Arno river, starting from Piazza Mentana,
www.renaioli.it, info 055-5000640
SATURDAY 8
n GUIDED TOURS
UNITED 93
The Rolling Stones: time is in our side
(let’s spend the night together)
CINETECA DI FIRENZE via reginaldo giuliani 357, info 055,450749, 21,45, 5€
Baluardo at San Giorgio Medici Month
Florence under attack: the battle of 1529
and the city defense. Tour guide by Cristina
Porciani.
Forte di Belvedere, Porta S. Giorgio, www.
mesemediceo.it, info 055-6120205, €
6,00, 11:00
n MUSIC & CONCERTS
Symphonic Orchestra, City of Grosseto
Classical music
Chiesa di Orsanmichele, Via Calzaiuoli, info
055-210804 / 783374 tickets at Box Office, 21
n PARKS
Archeological Nights
Special free opening of monuments garden
and Archaeological Museum
Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Via della
Colonna 38, Info 055 23575, sat@comune.
firenze.it, 20.00-24.00
TUESDAY 11
n CINEMA
n DANCE
Excalibur Stories
Presented by Florence Dance Company
Park of Stibbert Museum, via di Montughi 7,
Poggetto, tel. 055.486069, www.comune.
fi.it, 21.30 Prenotazione obbligatoria
n GUIDED TOURS
Cenacolo di San’Apollonia
meeting point via XXVII Aprile 1, 10,00 info
055.461428
n MUSIC & CONCERTS
Il Suono dell’Utopia
Music by Mozart and Prokofiev
See July 3, 9 pm
Tuscan Tour of the Orchestra “La Sinfonetta” from Geneva
Opers by Vivaldi, Sibelius, Mozart, Binet
and Gounod
“Estate in Peretola”, Piazza di Santa Maria,
Firenze, ore 21,15
Choir Concert
Award-winning concert preformed by the
Canatarè Chorus from Alberta, Canada
Chiesa S. Maria de Ricci, www.cantarechildrenschoir.org, 7 pm, free
Philip Glass “Works for Solo Piano
and Orchestra”
Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra
Piazza della Signoria, info 055-2625955,
21.30 free
The Elegant Gipsy Trio
22.00
Musipolitana,
Music from Senegal, the Ivory Coast, Iran,
Romania, Cuba, Perù
21.30
The Elegant Gipsy Trio
Popular music
22.00
Come in America
See July 10
Masti Show (games and jokes) Estate
alle Piagge 2006
Cabaret
Le Piagge , Piazzetta del Centro Commerciale, info 055-2767033, 21.15 free
Volo in cinque tempi
Street theatre
L’elisir di Caterina
Show and banquet
Hotel Relais Certosa, www.mesemediceo.
it, info 055-6120205, € 35, 21.15
WEDNESDAY 12
n CINEMA
The Rolling Stones: Time is in our side
(let’s spend the night together)
See July 11
n DANCE
Excalibur Stories
See July 11
Romeo and Juliet
Forte di Belvedere, info 055.2779241,
21:30 (also on 14, 15 and 19 July)
n MUSIC & CONCERTS
Litfiba
Ippodromo del Visarno, entrance dal Viale
della Catena, [email protected],
22.00
Badara Seck, Mauro Pagani, Massimo
Ranieri Grand Ensemble
Piazza della Signoria, info 055-2625955,
21.30 free
Musipolitana
See July 11
Come in America
See July 10
THURSDAY 13
n CINEMA
RV: Runaway Vacation
n DANCE
Excalibur Stories
See July 11
n GUIDED TOURS
Special Opening of Maiano Villa, The
Medici Month
11
Events in FLORENCE
40th Anniversary of Flood «I too was
there» interviews with people who
lived through the flood experience
July 13 at 9p.m, Sede Albereta, piazza Ravenna info tel. 0556585128, www.comune.
fi.it
n MUSIC & CONCERTS
Note Noire
Jazz
22.00
Luca Pirozzi Accordi and Disaccordi trio
21.30
n SPORT & ACTIVITIES
Trotting race
See July 2
ONGOING
n COMPETITION
1.000 euro per 1 minute
Competition open to videos no longer than
one minute, titles included.
Deadline June 30, Videominuto PopTV,
Festival Office, via del Rosso Fiorentino 2b,
tel. 055.7399981, www.videominuto.it, the
chosen videos will be shown at Centro per
l’Arte Contemporanea Luigi Pecci in Prato
on September 9
Pencils for Peace
A national competition for young cartoonists ages 14-30
Deadline August 31, info www.scuolacomics.it, tel. 055.218950 or www.portalegiovani.comune.fi.it, tel. 055.218310
n DANCE
Danz&state 2006: summer ballet
Dance performances and competition by
international choreographers
June 26-July 8, 21.00, Teatro della Limonaia di Villa Strozzi, via Pisana 77, tel.
055.351530, www.danzatoscana.it
Callas
MaggioDanza
Until 9 august, Teatro Comunale, Corso Italia 16, info 199.112112, 20.30
n EXHIBITS
Passaggi – Passages
Painting exhibition by Antonio Biancalani
Until July 29, Galleria Falteri, via della Spada 38r, tel. 055217740, www.falteri.it
Matthew Spender
Sculpture Exhibit
Until 21 August, Badia Fiesolana, Basilica
di Sant’Alessandro, Area Archeologica,
Museo Archeologico, Fiesole, info 800414240 www.fiesolemusei.it
Pedalando nel tempo
Pedaling throughout time
An exhibit of antique bicycles in the new
ground-floor exhibition space of the Museum.
Until December 31, Mon-Sat 9.30-17, Tues
9.30-13, 2nd Sun of the month 10-13,
Museo di Storia della Scienza, piazza dei
Giudici 1, tel. 055.265311, www.imss.fi.it
The Dreams of a Queen
Until July 9, Mon-Wed 10-14, Fri-Sun 1018, Museo Stibbert, via Federico Stibbert
26, tel. 055.486069, www.comune.fi.it
Incontri Mediterranei / Mediterranean
Encounters
Until October 10, Museo Archeologico Nazionale, via della Colonna 36, tel.
055.294883, www.firenzemusei.it/archeologica
Rifiuti Preziosi, Il Nouveau Réalisme e
la cultura contemporanea
An art exhibit with recyclable materials and
junk art: Nouveau Realism and contemporary culture
Until June 30, Palazzo Strozzi, Piazza Strozzi, tel. 055.2776461, www.palazzostrozzi.
info, 10-19
Fatti ad Arte
A Collection of art work by Antonio lo Pinto, Dontatello Mei, David Palterer, Adriano
Persiani, Leda Ratti
Until July 15, Spazio 2 Piazza Stozzi, tel.
0552658114
Michelangelo’s “Leda” and the second
Florentine Republic
Until July 10, 9.30-14, Casa Buonarroti , via
Ghibellina 70, tel. 055.241752
Man from the Renaissance
Until July 23, 9-20, Palazzo Strozzi, Piazza
Strozzi, tel. 055.2776461, www.palazzostrozzi.info
Vu d’Italie 1841-1941
Until June 30, 10-20, Museo Stibbert, via
Federico Stibbert 26, tel. 055.486069,
www.comune.fi.it
Arte e Manifattura di corte a Firenze.
Dal tramonto dei Medici all’Impero
(1732-1815)
Until November 5, Palazzo Pitti, piazza Pitti
1, tel. 055.294883
Lorenzo Monaco: dalla tradizione giottesca al Rinascimento
Until September 24, 8.15-18.50, Galleria dell’Accademia, via Ricasoli 50, tel.
055.294883, www.polomuseale.firenze.it
Mostra di pittori fiorentini neorealisti
Until June 30, Palazzo Strozzi, Piazza Strozzi, tel. 055.2776461, www.palazzostrozzi.
info
Miniatura Umbra del Rinascimento
Until June 25, 8.15-13.50, Sat 8.15-18.50,
Sun 8.15-19, Museo di San Marco, Piazza
San Marco 3 tel. 055.2388608
Photographic Exhibit
Il Genio Fiorentino, Organized by the
French consulate; photographs to present
the extraordinary Florentine journey.
Until July 22, Institut Français de Florence,
Piazza Ognissanti 2, tel 055 2718801,
www.geniofiorentino.it
The Mind of Leonardo. Universal Genius at Work
Until January 7, 2007, 8.15-19.00, Tues-Sun,
Galleria degli Uffizi, Piazzale degli Uffizi, tel.
055.2388651, www.uffizi.firenze.it
The Renaissance Man: Leon Battista
Alberti
Until July 23, 9-20, Fri Until 23.00, Palazzo
Strozzi, Piazza Strozzi, tel. 055.2776461,
www.palazzostrozzi.info
Walk-In
A collection of art work from young artists
Until June 30, Galleria Alessandro Bagnai,
tel. 055.680266
Lights on Chinart
Exhibit of Contemporary Chinese Art
Until August 31, Palazzo Capponi all
‘Annunziata, Via Gino Capponi 26, tel.
055.242248, www.palazzocapponiallannunziata.it
Appesi ad un filo: tessuti espressivi
Photos by Giulia Naldini
Until July 31, Maison Dumitru, Borgo Pinti
25r, tel. 055.7189417
Sculpture by Vincenzo Chiazza
Until June 30, Limonaia di villa Strozzi, via
Pisana 77, tel. 055.2767113
The Mystery of the Genesis in the Jorge
Jimenez Deredia’s Sculptures
Forty sculptures made of Carrara white
marble and bronze by Jorge Jiménez Deredia (Costa Rican).
Until September 30, closed 1st and last
Mon of the month, €7, Boboli Gardens, Piazza Pitti, tel. 055-2298732, www.ilmisterodellagenesi.com
Behind the the big curtain a group of
painters kept on working……
June 16-July 7, Mon-Fri 18-20, Sat-Sun 1316, Atelier Rebecca Harp, piazza della Repubblica 3, 3rd floor
Garden in Tuscany
Photography by Massimo Listri
Until July 17, Palazzo Medici Riccardi, Via
Cavour 1, info 055.4382638, 9.00-19.00
Sculptural studies & Drawings by Roger Phillips
Until June 30, Mon-Fri, 9-17, Saci Gallery,
Palazzo dei Cartelloni, via sant’Antonino 11
Quasi l’infanzia, i bambini e lo sguardo dell’artista
June 20-Sept 17, Palazzo Vecchio, Sala d’Arme, piazza della Signoria,tel. 055.6120467
La sacralità nel quotidiano. Mattew
Spender sculptures
June 21-August 21, 10-19, Museo e Area
Archeologica, via Portigiani 1, info 800
414240, Fiesole
Human game. Vincitori e vinti
June21-July 23, Stazione Leopolda, viale
Fratelli Rosselli 5, tel. 055.212622, www.
stazione-leopolda.it
New Liberalistic Pleasures
Until September 10, Biagiotti Progetto Arte, Via delle Belle Donne 39/r, tel.
055.214757
Firenze 99 Contemporanea
Programme of international contemporary
art exhibits in the city
Until July 30, See www.pittimmagine.com
for locations
Tre mostre
Untill June 30 Centro per l’Arte Contemporanea Luigi Pecci, v.le della Repubblica 277,
Prato, tel. 0574.5317, www.centropecci.it
Marangoni Student Exhibit
Exhibit by second year university students
Until June 31, 3-7 pm, FSM gallery, Via San
Zanobi 19R, tel 055 280368, exhibitions@
studiomarangoni.it
Gravità e luce
Marble sculptures by Naoko Kumasaka,
Durid Campbell, Lothar Nickel, Jaja Schurch and Franco Scuderi
Until July 31, Limonaia di Villa Vogel, via
delle Torri 23 , Isolotto, info 055.2625955,
www.firenzestate.com, 9.00-12.00
Copti Fabrics From Egiptian Museum
of Firenze
Until October 22, Museo Casa Siviero,
Lungarno Serristori 3, www.cultura.toscana.it/musei/primo_piano/siviero.html, nfo
055.2345219
Lo sguardo dell’innocenza
Workshop on creativity an expression, La Tinaia
Until July 31, Piazzetta Madonna della Neve,
www.latinaia.org info 055-2625955
Passion pour la vie (location 1)
Charity exhibit with international artists
Until July 30, Museo Diocesano di S. Stefano al Ponte, p.za S. Stefano al Ponte Vecchio 5, www.antoinegaber.com, info 055
292082, free
Passion pour la vie (location 2)
Charity exhibits with international artists
Until July 30, Roof Terrace of Grand Hotel
Baglioni, P.za Unità Italiana 6, www.antoinegaber.com, info 055 292082, every day
from 5 pm aperitive time
Contrappunto
Painting exhibition by Lisa Wade
July from 3 to 14, SACI Gallery, Palazzo
dei Cartelloni, via Sant’antonino 11, tel.
055289948, www.saci-florence.org
Stati d’infanzia
Photos by Giovanni Santi
Until July 28, Limonaia di villa Strozzi, via Pisana 77, tel. 055.2767113
Equilibrio e gioco
Sculptures by Beatrice Barni 1996-2006
Until July 28, Museo Marino Marini , p.za S.
Pancrazio, www.museomarinomarini.it , info
055.486049, 10.00-17.00, €4
n GUIDED TOURS
Itinerari e Incontri
Guided visits, book presentations, and conferences
Associazione Akropolis, Info 055461428,
http://it.geocites.com/associazione_akropolis, all year
Museo Bandini
Until October 31, 9.30-19, Fiesole, via Duprè 1
Restoration of the cycle of frescoes by
A. Gaddi in the Cappella Maggiore
Until December 31, Fri and Sat at 10, 11,
12, 14, 15, 16; Sun at 14, 15, 16, Chiesa
di Santa Croce
Artisans of the Oltrarno, in search of
artistic craftsmanship
Genuine Florentine artisan traditions
Info 055.3036108, www.firenze-oltrarno.
net, all year
Hortibus Collection & Garden tours
Starting point: piazza S.Trinita, every Thur
and Sat at 15.00, info 348.9100783, www.
hortibus.com, € 25, all year
Mercato San Lorenzo
Florentine crafts, hand-made embroidery,
paper, leather etc
Streets around Basilica San Lorenzo, every
day, all day
JUN 30 TO JUL 13
Ciompi Antique fair
Piazza de’ Ciompi, tel. 055.3283550, every
week day and last Sunday of the month
Mercato del Porcellino
Florentine crafts with straw, hand-made
embroidery, leather, woodwork,and flowers
Logge del Porcellino, every day, all day
Accoglienza attraverso l’Arte
Evening meetings for expat residents of
Florence
Until June 30, MUDI Museo degli Innocenti,
Piazza S.S. Annuziata 12, tel. 0552037308
Mercatini equosolidali Hop “Cavalca la
Notte” - 1ª ed
Until August 6, Ippodromo del Visarno Viale
della Catena, davanti alle Pavoniere, Info:
[email protected], 18.00
63th Pitti Immagine Bimbo
Children’s wear and accessories collections. Access reserved to professionals
within the sector
from 30th June to 2nd July, Fortezza da
Basso, tel. 05549721, www.pittimmagine.
com
Il Mese Mediceo
Until July 31, www.mesemediceo.it
59th Pitti Immagine Filati
Yarn’s Fair. Access reserved to operators
from 5th to 7th July, Fortezza da Basso, tel.
05549721, www.pittimmagine.com
Vintage Selection
The Vintage Clothing, Accessories and Designer Objects Fair
from 5th to 8th July, Stazione Leopolda,
p.le di Porta al Prato, www.pittimmagine.
com, info 055-212622, free, from 10am to
10pm
Festa Regionale de l’Unità
Politics, music and cuisine
July 13-Aust 12, Fortezza da Basso, info
055.503201
n MUSIC & CONCERTS
Organ and instrumental concerts
Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Ricci, via del
Corso, tel. 055.289367, all year, Mon-Sun
21.15, Sat 18.00, €11
Concerts at St. Mark’s English Church
The “Orpheus Ensemble” presents sacred
music, Italian opera arias and Neapolitan
Songs with piano and voice
St. Mark’s English Church, Via Maggio 1618, tel 340.8119192, every day at 21.15,
€15, for The Florentine readers € 10 (Mondays free piano recital)
I “Maggi” Fiorentini
Classical music
La Limonaia” del Giardino Bardini info 0552768520, Fry and Sat 18:00
Florence International Music Festival
Until July 21, www.il-trillo.com, info 0552341049, free
Danz&state 2006
Summer ballet. Choreography prize
From June 26 to July 8 ( prize: June 30, July
1, 2), Teatro della Limonaia di Villa Strozzi,
via Pisana, tel. 055 351530, www.danzatoscana.it
Until July 28, piazza della passera, info 0552645356, 21.30
8th International Festival of European
Youth Orchestras
Firenzestate 2006
July 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 17, 19, 20,
27*, 30*, Piazza San Lorenzo and *= Chiesa Santo Stefano al Ponte, Piazza de’ Saltarelli, tel. 055597026, www.florenceyouthfestival.com
La Traviata
Opera Festival 2006
from 6th to 27th July, Giardino di Boboli,
p.za Pitti, www.festivalopera.it, info 0555979005, 21:00 sale at Box Office
Colori del Mondo, Concerts
Firenzestate 2006
July 8, 11, 23; Area Pettini Burresi, via Faentina 145, tel. 0552767828, www.firenzestate.com
Concerts of the Chamber Orchestra
26th concert season 2006
July 10, 11, 20*, 21*, 24*, 28*, Chiesa di
Orsanmichele, Cortile del Museo Nazionale
del Bargello, tel. 055783374, www.orcafi.it
12
Events in FLORENCE
Navigating on the Arno River under
Ponte Vecchio
Rowing on the Arno
from June to October, starting point: Lungarno A.M. de’ Medici and Lungarno Generale
Diaz, tel. 347 7982 356, www.renaioli.it
SabbiaVolo 2006
Beach volley Tournament
until July 20, Sesto Fiorentino e Signa, info
340.6818657, a:[email protected], www.
sabbiavolo.altervista.org, Untill 20 July,
Beach Pro
Beach volley competition
From 13rd to 27th July, Piazzale Michelangelo, info 340.6818657, a:sabbiavolo@libero.
it, www.sabbiavolo.altervista.org
n SUMMER NIGHTS
Meridiani e Paralleli
Until September 10, every day from 17.00
to 1.00, Piazza Indipendenza
Parco e Piscina Le Pavoniere
Music, shows, DJ sessions, live performances, fashion, pool, food & cocktails
Until September 24, from 20.00, Le Pavoniere, parco delle Cascine, on Sunday latin
music
Summerfest2006
Music, theatre and more
Until September 9, every evening, Piazza
Ghiberti (S. Ambrogio area), www.firenzesummerfest.it
Parco sud
Music, cinema, dance, games for children, food
Until September 9, every day all day, Parco
dell’Anconella, via di Villamagna
Rime Rampanti
Music, dance, theatre, games, DJ sets, food
and drinks
Until September 3, every evening from
19.00, Rime di piazza Poggi
Easy Living in Santo Spirito
Live Music, Bar, cocktails, free wireless access all over the Piazza.
Until September 10, Piazza Santo Spirito,
www.piazzart.com, info 3400713410, every evening
Summer nights 2006. La Vasca at the
Fortezza
Live music, bar, dj
Until September 10, Fortezza da Basso,
Viale Filippo Strozzi, tel. 055-2767621,
www.firenzestate.com, free
Il suono dell’anima
Firenzestate 2006
Until September, Chiesa di S. Gaetano,
Museo del Bargello, tel. 055.2625955,
www.firenzestate.it
Estaz
Events happening throughout the summer
including musical performances, films and
viewing of the World Cup.
Until July 26, every day, STAZ - Stazione di
Confine, via Attavante 5, tel. 055.7320812,
www.stazionediconfine.it
Spettacoli itineranti sul fiume
Theatre performances aboard small boats
on the Arno
June 6-July 7, info & booking 055.5000640,
www.zauberteatro.com, starting point piazza mentana, €20
Hop “Cavalca la Notte”
Music, sports and food
Until August 6, from 18.00 every evening, Ippodromo del Visarno, Parco delle Cascine,
info http://hopcavalcalanotte.blogspot.com
FirenzEstate 06 in Santissima Annunziata
Music, theatre and more
Until September 6, every evening, Piazza
Santissima Annunziata
Reading Don Chisciotte
Firenzestate 2006
June 9-July 6, Chiostro delle Oblate, via S.
Egidio 21, 21.30, from Mon to Fri. Free but
invitation compulsury. Go to l’Assessorato alla Cultura del Comune di Firenze, Via
Ghibellina 30. Tel 055.2625955 or to Compagnia Lombardi Tiezzi, via Domenico Maria
Manni 55, tel. 055.600218
Estate a San Salvi
Theatre, dance, music, etc.
Until September 10, every day, Area San
Sanvi, via S. Salvi 12, tel. 055.6236195,
www.chille.it
Di tutti i colori
JUN 30 TO JUL 13
Theatre, skateboarding and exhibit on Bartali
Until July 31, every day, Piazza Bartali
Cure allo scoperto
Events every night, music, outdoor bar,
computer corner
June 16-July 29, from 18.00, Spazio Giovani
Cure, via Faentina 145, tel. 055.5522816,
www.spaziocure.it
Estate freschi
Music, theatre, sport & show
Until July 30, every day, Area Pettini Burresi,
via Faentina 154
Ballo Liscio e Vernacolo show
Until September at 9pm, Giardini di Bellariva, lungarno Aldo Moro, tel. 055.2767822
Summer at Demidoff Villa. Theatre and
music shows
from June to September, Parco Mediceo di
Pratolino info 055409155, www.provincia.
fi.it
Shows on Arno. Onboard of the ancient boats of Renaioli
Untill 1st August, Arno river, starting from
Piazza Mentana, www.renaioli.it, info 0555000640 �20, 21.15
L’Elsa di sangue
The Medici Month
June 29-July 9, 21.00, Mura di Firenze, Baluardo di San Giorgio, Forte di Belvedere,
www.mesemediceo.it
La Parola al teatro
Firenzestate 2006
Until September, info & booking
055.2625955, www.firenzestate.it
Villa Fabbricotti Estate 2006
Theatre shows
Until July 29, Villa Fabbricotti, via V.Emanuele
II n.64, Prenotazioni tel. 0555000640 (Bus
n.4) . Info Q.5 tel. 0552767045, www.zauberteatro.com
ImprovvisaMente Atti o Scene in luogo
pubblico
July 3, 6, 10; Area Pettini Burresi, via Faentina 145, tel. 0552767828, www.firenzestate.com
CHILDREN
n EXHIBITS
I bambini raccontano la Preistoria
Exhibition of works by primary school children from Florence, Prato and Pistoia
Until June 30 Museo Fiorentino di Preistoria
“P. Graziosi”- tel. 055295159
n GUIDED TOURS
Il Giardino di Archimede, Mathematics
Sundays
Guided visits and surprise events at the
Museum
Il Giardino di Archimede, Museo per la
Matematica, via S. Bartolo a Cintoia 19, tel.
055.7879594, www.archimede.ms, on the
first Sunday of every month
n MUSIC & CONCERTS
July for children
Theatre shows for children
from June 30 to July 19, Campi Bisenzio,
Parco Iqbal info 05 58959318, www.comune.campi-bisenzio.fi.it
The little joiner’s shop
Workshop to create wooden games, develops creativity and dexterity. For children
age 4 to 10
Il Cappello di Merlino, via Mazzetta 14r, tel.
055.264471, every Wed, 17.00
The amazing circus of Merlin the Wizard
Workshop to create circus equipment. For
children ages 4 to 11
055.264471, every Thur, 17.00
The world through the senses
Experimenting with the senses (taste, sight,
hearing, touch, smell) through games and
book-readings. For children ages 2 to 5.
055.264471, every Fri, 17.00
Artisti in erba
Free painting lessons outdoors
June 8-July 1, Tues & Thurs, Villa Favard, via
Aretina 511, tel. 055.2767822
Ludoteca Il Castoro
Every Monday: Let’s Play Together, Every
Tuesday: Handicraft lab and painting with
Chiara, Every Wednesday: Let’s Use the
Videocamera, Every Thursday: inventing
and acting out stories, Every Friday: fun and
games in English, Every day: book loaning
and story-time for children and parents
c/o Ludoteca Il Castoro, Via U. della Faggiola 68/A (Scuola Villani), tel. 055.6810517
Le statue stele
Workshops for children and adults, Le Notti
dell’Archeologia
Museo Fiorentino di Preistoria, via San Egidio 21,info@museofiorentinopreistoria.it tel.
055.295159, 9,30-12,30 free reservations
required
Gli strumenti musicali nella preistoria
dell’Archeologia
Museo Fiorentino di Preistoria, via San Egidio 21, info@museofiorentinopreistoria.it
tel. 055.295159, 14,00-17,00 free reservations required
Segni della Preistoria
dell’Archeologia
Museo Fiorentino di Preistoria, via San Egidio 21, info@museofiorentinopreistoria.it,
info 055.295159, 14,00-17,00 free reservations required
La semina e la panificazione nella
preistoria
dell’Archeologia
Museo Fiorentino di Preistoria, via San Egidio 21, info@museofiorentinopreistoria.it
tel. 055.295159, 9.30-12.30 free reservations required
Puppet show
055.264471, every Sat, 17.00
Favole al Boschetto
Stories from the great tradition of fairy-tales
Il Boschetto, via di Soffiano 11, Legnaia,
info 055.700026, €8 senior, 5€ children,
21.30
OUT OF TOWN
n COMPETITION
Scrivo per sport
Contest to select films that have sports in
Prato as their theme.
Deadline July 15, Concorso Scrivo per Sport,
Comune di Prato, Assessorato allo Sport,
via Migliorati 1, Prato, info 0574.1836484,
800.058850, 0574.401376
n COURSES
Arteinscena Musical laboratory
Dance and singing
enrollment to [email protected]
or fax (0574/445580) o at Teatro Politeama
Pratese, Via G. Garibaldi 33 Prato
n EXHIBITS
David Smithson & Bach Backwards
Until July 30, 10-19, Centro per l’Arte Contemporanea Luigi Pecci, v.le della Repubblica 277, Prato, tel. 0574.5317
Omissis by Marco Neri
Until July 30, 10-19, closed Mon, Tues,
Centro per l’Arte Contemporanea Luigi
Pecci, v.le della Repubblica 277, Prato, tel.
0574.5317
Primo Piano
Words, Art, Actions, Music, a collection of
live art. Over 400 pieces capturing the artistic movements of the 60’s and 70’s.
June 14-September 18, Centro Arte Contemporanea Pecci, Viale della Repubblica
277, Prato, tel. 05745317, www.centroartepecci.prato.it, Closed Mon/Tues, Wed-Thur
10-18.30, €5
Intrecci mediterranei
Fabrics from 11th to 17th centuries
Until September 30, Wed-Fri 10-18, Sat
10-14, Sun 16-19, Tue closed, Museo del
Tessuo, via santa chiara 24, Prato, 0574
611503, www.museodetessuto.it, 4€
Vivere da Etrusco
Exhibit of Le Notti dell’Archeologia
Museo Archeologico di Artimino, Prato, info
055-8712468 www.cultura.toscana.it/musei.htm
Primo Piano
Words, Art, Actions, Music, a collection of
live art. Over 400 pieces capturing the artistic movement of the 60’s and 70’s.
June 14-September 18, Centro Arte Contemporanea Pecci, Viale della Repubblica
277, Prato, tel. 05745317, www.centroartepecci.prato.it, Closed Mon/Tues, Wed-Thur
10-18.30, €5
n GUIDED TOURS
Guided tours in the Natural Reserve of
Fucecchio marsh
Padule di Fucecchio, tel. 0573.84540, Until June on weekends , www.zoneumidetoscane.it/eventi/padeventi.html
On the Scaffolding with Filippo Lippi
Visits to the restoration of Filippo Lippi’s
fresco (max 12 persons)
Cattedrale di Santo Stefano, piazza del Duomo, Prato, tel. 0574.24112, www.restaurofilippolippi.it, by reservation only, every
Sat at 10, 11, 16, 17, Sun at 10, 11, €8
Guided walking tours around Calenzano
From April to October, info 055.8833255,
www.comune.calenzano.fi.it
On the Scaffolding with Filippo Lippi
Visits to the restoration of Filippo Lippi’s
fresco (max 12 persons)
every Sat at 10, 11, 16, 17, Sun at 10, 11,
€8, Cattedrale di Santo Stefano, piazza
del Duomo, Prato, tel. 0574.24112, www.
restaurofilippolippi .it, by reservation only
Abbey of San Salvatore and San
Lorenzo a Settimo
Every Wed, Fri 10-12, Sun 15.30-18, closed
July and Aug, Badia a Settimo, Scandicci,
tel. 055.7310537, www.badiadisettimo.it
The Ceramics of Montelupo
Free guided visits of Archaeology and Ceramics Museum and participation in workshops
Every Thur from 10.00 to 14.00, Museo
Archeologico e della Ceramica, Montelupo
Fiorentino, tel. 0571.518993
Wine and Fashion in the Florentine
Mountains. Itineraries with guided visits, shopping
Tours to discover the beauty of the Florentine Mountains. Visits to artisan workshops
and local shopping centres
All year Mon and Sat, Resco Travel, tel.
055.868009
walking in Val D’orcia (Siena)
unitll 30 November, info and booking 0577
351302 www.dimenicainchianti.it, 7€
Sunday in Chianti
unitll 30 october, info and booking 0577
898303 www.parcodellavaldorcia.com, 8€
The Valley of Treasures
Guided visits to the Jerusalem of San Vivaldo
Montaione, San Vivaldo info 0571699252
www.piccoligrandimusei.it
Camminata Etrusca
From Tumulo di Montefortini to the necropolis of Prato Rosello, special tour of
the burial ground, archeological sites and
Museum of Artimio
Carmignano, Prato, 8.00, reservations required within 30/6 at 055-8712468 www.
cultura.toscana.it/musei.htm
Sito di Gonfienti, Le Notti dell’Archeologia
Guided visit of the restoration workshop of
the artifacts discovered in the Etruscan city
of Gonfienti
Area archeologica di Gonfienti, Prato,
[email protected], info 0574
615025/615028, ore 17.00
Guided walking tours
Calenzano tel. 0558833255, www.comune.calenzano.fi.it
Week-end of July 1-2
Marea
Music, games festival, meetings
June 19-July 2, Buca di Sant’Andrea, www.
marea.fucecchio.it
Open shops under the stars
Shows, food tasting
June-September on Wednesday, Dicomano
historical center
San Casciano Sempreaperta
Performances and shops will stay open
June, July on Thursday evening San Cascino city center, tel. 055.8229558
13
Events in FLORENCE
Mercantia
Music and theatre festival with market in
the castle of Certaldo
July from 11 to 16, Certaldo Alto, info
0571661259, www.mercantiacertaldo.com
Open shops under the stars
Shows, food tasting
Until September on Wed, Dicomano, info
055 838541
Ficattola food festival
from June 24 to July 2 Fornacette Montespertoli tel. 0571657087, www.comune.
montespertoli.fi.it
Festival of duck food
June 29- July 16, Circolo ARCI, Cerreto
Guidi
Festival in two villages
June 29-July 9, S. Pancrazio, tel.
055.8229558
Beef steack food festival
from june 30th to July 2nd, Fucecchio, Contrada Borgonovo tel. 0571268264, www.
comune.fucecchio.fi.it
I sapori dell’Etruria
Wine tasting and specialty sweets and
cookies from Etruria to nowadays
Prato Comeana, Piazza Battisti, 21.30
Mercantico. Evening antique market
July 9 palazzuolo sul senio tel. 0558046008,
www.palazzuolo.it
Viale di notte. Handicraft, antique, second-hand good market
first and second week in July VINCI, Sovigliana tel. 0571568012, www.comune.vinci.fi.it
Tortello (filled pasta) and ricotta food
festival
July 1, 2 Palazzuolo, Casa del Villeggiante
tel. 0558046008, www.palazzuolo.it
Mushroom food festival
July 1, 2 Reggello, Cascia tel. 0558669232,
www.comune.reggello.fi.it
Festival on the river Arno with games
and shows for children
the first and second week in July Sovigliana
Viale Togliatti tel. 0571568012, www.comune.vinci.fi.it
Snail food festival
July 1, 2 Vinci Loc. Spicchio tel.
0571568012, www.comune.vinci.fi.it
Special general market
July 2, Piazza del Mercato Nuovo, Prato
Aprilante market
first Sunday of the month, Panzano in Chianti, info 0558545271, www.comune.
greve-in-chianti.fi.it
Antique and collector market
first Sunday of the month Scarperia info
0558468165, www.comune.scarperia.fi.it
Antique and flea market
every first Sunday of the month Sesto Fiorentino info 0554496357, www.comune.
sesto-fiorentino.fi.it
Threshing festival
July from 3 to 9 Sesto Fiorentino Piazza Vittorio Veneto tel. 0554496357, www.comune.sesto-fiorentino.fi.it
Handicraft market
July 4 Montaione, info 0571699254, www.
comune.montaione.fi.it
Bugie-Lies with Andrea Kaemmerle
and Adriano Miliani
Music and theatre shows with food sampling
July 6, Castelfiorentino, Villa di Cambiano,
info 0571 686338, www.comune.castelfiorentino.fi.it
The village on Thursday
Shows in the centre
July 6, 13, 20, 27, Borgo S. Lorenzo, info
055 849661, www.comune.borgo-sanlorenzo.fi.it
Week-end of July 8-9
Viale di notte. Handicraft, antique, second-hand good market
first and second week in July VINCI, Sovigliana tel. 0571568012, www.comune.vinci.
fi.it
Dante the Ghibelline. Traditional Festival
July 8, 9San Godendo info. 0558373826,
www.comune.san-godenzo.fi.it
Hobby Senio. Antique and collector
market
July, August on Tuesday evening palazzuolo
sul senio tel. 0558046008, www.palazzuolo.it
Pazza fresca festa 2006
from June 10 to July 30 on weekends Incisa
Valdarno tel. 0558333443, www.comune.
incisa-valdarno.fi.it
July fair in Romola
July 11 La Romola tel. 0558229558, www.
comune.san-casciano-val-di-pesa.fi.it
Boulevard by night. Food market and
shows
July 12 Vinci Sovigliana Viale Togliatti tel.
0571568012, www.comune.vinci.fi.it
La Madia dei Sapori. Typical food product show
July 13 Castello di Poppiano tel. 05716001,
www.comune.montespertoli.fi.it
Ludorium Dies. Palio della Brocca dell’Alleanza. Festival in medieval costumes
July from 13 to 23, Londa tel. 0558352531,
www.comune.londa.fi.it
n MUSIC & CONCERTS
Bayern Open Space
Live Music
Bayern, Piazza del Mercato Nuovo, Prato,
tel. 057424120, www.bayernprato.com,
22.20, June 1-30
Music at Palazzo Pretorio
Concerts with guided tours and typical
Tuscan dinner
every Tuesday Until September, Palazzo
Pretorio, Certaldo, tel. 0571.661276
Festival delle Colline
Modern music
June-July in different places around Prato,
programme info 0574-5317 www.centroartepecci.prato.it
RAM, Percussioni, voce e corpo
Student drum performances
July 1, Il Frantoio Parco Corsini, Fucecchio,
info. 0571 261143, www.comune.fucecchio.fi.it
Robert Burke e Simon Starr in concert
Jazz sax and bass from Australia
July 8, 21.00, free, Monash University, Palazzo Vaj, Via Pugliesi 26, Info 0574-43691
Salotto musicale. Concerts
June, July, the first Monday of the month,
Sede Pro Lastra Enrico Caruso, Lastra a
Signa, tel. 055.8722628
PratoEstate
Concerts, performances, events, exhibits, etc.
June-September, info: Ass. Cultura Comune di Prato, tel. 0574.615024, www.pratoestate.it
La Plaza
Pizzeria, bar, viewing of the World Cup, music, other performances and children’s area
Until September 1, 9.00-1.00, Argine Bisenzio, Viale Galilei close to Ponte Datini, Prato, info: Anomalia Club, tel. 347.1873223,
www.anomaliaclub.it
52nd Festival Puccini
Opera festival in Torre del Lago (Lucca)
www.puccinifestival.it
Marea festival
Concerts, theatre, food and market
unitll July 2, buca d’andrea, Fucecchio,
www.mareafestival.it, 21.00
Concerti al Parco Villa Solaria
Free entrance concerts
Sesto Fiorentino, Tel 055.26.38.894,
info@lenozzedifigaro.it, 21.30
L’estate di S. Francesco
Music and performances on the Museum’s
terrace
from June to August on Thursday, Terrazza
del Museo di S. Francesco, Greve in Chianti, tel. 055.8545271
Onda Mediterranea 2006
Philip Catherine, Bert Joris, The Brussels
Jazz Orchestra, “MEETING COLOURS”
Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, Pontassieve,
info 055 8360254, www.pontassievecultura.it, 21,30 pm, 10€
30 june, Pontassieve, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele tel. 800414240, www.estatefiesolana.com
L’estate di S. Francesco.
Music and shows on the Museum’s terrace
from June to August on Thursday, Terrazza del Museo di S. Francesco info
0558545271, Greve, www.comune.grevein-chianti.fi.it
Buenos Aires Tango
Parco dell’Anconella, Albereta, Via di Villamagna , Gavinana, www.buenosairestango.
it, info055-473555
Frankie HI-Nrg
July 2, buca d’andrea, Fucecchio, www.mareafestival.it, 21.00
Sergio Cammeriere in concert
Castello dell’Imperatore, Prato, Info 05741835021-22
Lights of the town
Concerts in cloisters and churches
July on Wed, Empoli, info 0571757999,
www.comune.empoli.fi.it
Violins of Santa Vittoria
A special violin concert in the court of an
ancient Medici farm in the hills
Fattoria di Bacchereto, Carmignano Prato,
2€
On the road festival, Busker meeting
July from 6 to 9, PELAGO, info
0558327301-32, www.comune.pelago.fi.it
Earth Wheel Sky Band
Brass band from Serbia playing music with
Rom and Balkan sounds
July 10, Festival delle Colline, Castello dell’Imperatore, Prato, 2€
Youssun Dour in concert
July 10, Parco di Villa Solaria tel.
0554496357, www.sestoestate.com
L’estate di S. Francesco
Music and performances on the Museum’s
terrace
from June to August on Thursday, Terrazza
del Museo di S. Francesco, Greve in Chianti, tel. 055.8545271
Carlo Fava Trio
July 11, festival delle colline, Castello dell’Imperatore, Piazza S. Maria delle Carceri,
Info 0574-1835021-22
The Wild Blue Yonder
Multimedia show with tenors
July 12, Festival delle Colline, Castello dell’Imperatore, Prato, 2€
Summer in the castle
Music, dance, theatre shows
July 12, 19, 26 Castelfiorentino, info 0571
686341-8, www.comune.castelfiorentino.
fi.it
n PARKS
Sculptures in a woodland
In an untouched wood of ilex and oak trees
in the heart of Sienese Chianti, many internationally renowned artists from five continents have created imposing contemporary
sculptures
Parco sculture del Chianti, La Fornace 48/49, Pievasciata, Siena, tel.
0577.357151, www.chiantisculpturepark.it,
open all year
Parco Mediceo di Pratolino
Theatrical, musical and dance performances, inter-cultural themes.
Until October 31, Thur & Fri, Pratolino, Vaglia, info 055.409155, from Thur to Sun
10-19.30
Stato Libero dei Renai
This natural oasis offers numerous lakes,
ponds, green areas, bird-watching spots,
sport facilities, children’s games, a swimming pool, etc
Until September 30, Mon-Fri 12:00-20:00,
Sat, Sun and holidays 9-20, free, Parco dei
Renai, Lastra a Signa, www.parcorenai.it
National dog show
June 27- July 2, Lago di Bilancino, tel.
055.8418133
Calenzano discovered, walks through
history and nature.
Guided walking tours
from April to October, Calenzano, info
055.8833255
Bicinotturna
July 5, Night in Bike in the city (km. 15 trip)
at the end watermelon, meeting 21.30 Piazza del Comune Prato Info: Sig. Danilo tel.
339.3477139
Night sailing race
July 8 Barberino di Mugello, Lago di Bilancino tel. 0558418133, www.bilancinolagoditoscana.it
Duathlon competition
July 8, 9 Palazzuolo Piazza del Comune tel.
0558046008, www.palazzuolo.it
JUN 30 TO JUL 13
3^ Edition of Barberino Triathlon
Lago di Bilancino, Barberino di Mugello,
www.firenzetriathlon.it
Prato Abetone
Bike tourism
9 July,Lega Provinciale Ciclismo UISP
Prato, Info: UISP tel. 0574-691133 e-mail
[email protected]
n SUMMER NIGHTS
Estate in villa
All July, concerts in Villa Fiorelli, Parco di
Galceti Prato, Info tel. 0574.697722
Summer in Sesto
June- September, info tel. 055.44961,
www.sestoestate.com
Summer in Tavarnelle
Walking in the centre: performances and
market, food tasting in the village
June- August, Tavernelle historical center,
tel. 055.8077832, www.prolocotavarnelle.it
Pieve a Ripoli Festival
June & July, Pieve a Ripoli, tel. 0571.55671,
www.comune.cerreto-guidi.fi.it
Sport festival
Until September, San Casciano Val di Pesa,
tel. 055.8229558
Montemurlo Estate
Cinema, dance, folklore, music, theatre and
sport
Until September, every day, info Ufficio Cultura Comune di Montemurlo, tel.
0574.558264
Scusa Mario
Every night events, music, outdoor bar,
disco
all summer, via tevere 100, osmannoro sesto fiorentino, info 055 308462, free, from
22.00
Summer in Martignana
Until August 22, Martignana (Montespertoli), tel. 0571.676179
Prato Estate 2006
Music, cinema, theatre
Until September, info 0574.1835021-22,
www.pratoestate.it
E...state al Poggio
Fairs and performances
Until August 26, Poggio alla Croce, Incisa
Valdarno, tel. 055.863129
Rassegna musicale Frog Stage 2006
Until August 13, every night, Urban Park, via
Ferraris, Prato
Classical music concerts in some villas, castles and parish churches
Until August 24, info tel. 0571.609412,
www.comune. montespertoli.fi.it
Poggio In Vetrina
Music, dance, shops open until midnight
June 22-July 27, Poggio a Caiano, info
055.8796611
Summer in Marcialla. Evening shows
and games
Until
August
20,
Marcialla,
tel.
0558074101
Festival of two villages
June 29-July 9, Lucignano e San Pancrazio,
tel. 0571.6001
Summer at Demidoff Villa
Theatre, cinema and music shows
June- September, Parco Mediceo di Pratolino, Vaglia, tel. 055.409155
Summer festival. Music, cinema, theatre shows
July and August, info 055819941 www.comune.firenzuola.fi.it
Un giovedì di mezza estate
Music, dance, shops open until midnight
Pontassieve, info Ufficio Comunicazione
055 8360287, [email protected].
fi.it
Un giovedì di mezza estate
See July 6
Decamerone
July 5, 21,30 Anfiteatro Centro Pecci, Viale
della Repubblica 277, Info: 0574-183502122
CCC - Il giardino italiano
6 to 8 July, 21,00, Cortile di Santa Caterina,
P.zza S. Domenico 15, Info 0574-183502122
Bisio e le Storie Tese e Elio
Sesto Fiorentino, Tel 055.26.38.894,
info@lenozzedifigaro.it, 21.30
14
UP CLOSE & PERSONAL
life, I’m a basketball fan. I root for the
Clippers.
An
Interview
with
TF: Who have you trained?
GP: I’ve worked with Sylvester Stallone, Penelope Cruz, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, Bruce Willis, Angelina Jolie,
Monica Sellers…
Gunnar
Peterson
‘Your body is your musical
instrument and you have
to play it.’
G
unnar Peterson is a Beverly Hillsbased personal trainer whose clients include celebrities, professional
athletes, and everyday people. He is
widely recognized for his expertise in
functional training, and his commitment
to developing and implementing innovative fitness techniques. With a client
list as diverse as his training methods,
Gunnar emphasizes strength training modalities that can be transferred
from the gym to daily life, from training camp to championship. He has
worked with athletes from the NBA,
NHL, NFL, USTA, professional boxing
and various NCAA sports. Many film
and television celebrities who have
sought Gunnar’s guidance in preparing for roles have then stayed on to
become devoted clients, making him
a part of their regular fitness regimen.
He is contributing editor for Glamour
and has a recurring feature in L.A
Confidential magazine. Gunnar is also
regularly featured in Allure, Elle, In
Style, In Touch, US Weekly and other
magazines. His television appearances include The Today Show, CNN,
and CNN Headline News.
The Florentine had the opportunity
to interview Peterson during his recent
visit to the International Fitness Festival
held in Florence’s Fortezza da Basso.
TF: Of all the celebrities you’ve
worked with, who has been the
most difficult to train?
The Florentine: What advice do
you have for people who want to
be physically fit?
Gunnar Peterson: Well, the first thing
is to make the right choices at the table
and get to enough rest. It’s best to time
one’s protein in-take throughout the day
and eat small snacks every three hours,
because that style of eating is easier
on the digestive system. I also always
recommend that people consume their
foods as close to their natural state as
possible. Fruits and vegetables should
be eaten early in the day. The same is
true of complex carbohydrates, because
they provide long term energy.
Mostly it’s about creating a healthy
lifestyle. You can exercise in front of the
TV if you want; you don’t have to go to
the gym necessarily. It’s about making
full use of your body. Your body is your
musical instrument and you have to play
it. Exercise improves the quality of life.
TF: Is there anything you tell your
clients to avoid? �
GP: It’s not about avoidance. Certainly, you don’t want to eat junk food
in large quantities. But I never tell my
clients not to eat something. If I say
that, it makes people feel deprived and
get on the defensive.
TF: What’s your favourite physical
activity?
GP: It’s hard to believe that there’s
anything more exciting than climbing
the wall of the Fortezza! But in everyday
GP: Anyone who has been sent there
by their spouse!
�
TF: But if you were to name someone specific?
GP: Most recently, I’ve worked with
Christina Ricci. It’s not that she was difficult to work with, in terms of her personality, but she had been sent by her
manager to get in shape for a movie.
You can always tell when someone
comes by choice and when they are
forced to be there. It makes a huge difference.
TF: What do you consider the
most complete sport?
GP: It’s hard to say. You mean for cardiovascular? Volleyball. Football. Boxing
or martial arts are great for hand-to-eye
co-ordination. Basketball also gives you
a full body workout. Swimming is great,
but it’s hard for most people and it’s not
the best for burning body fat because
being in the water cools you down.
Tennis is great too, but it depends at
what level. For most people, tennis is
anaerobic exercise. If you go to a tennis
lesson you get a much more complete
work out than if you’re playing a match
with a friend.
When planning personalized workouts for my clients, I have them change
exercises all the time. Change keeps
their minds engaged. It keeps their
bodies guessing. I mean, the same
types of exercises are in every work out,
but you can change angles, the number of repetitions you do, the position
of an exercise in the work out. Even
slight change keeps people from getting bored.
TF: How long does it take to get
in shape if you start with a normal
body?
GP: What’s a normal body? Someone
with an athletic background? Each person is a case in and of themselves. It’s
not just about exercise. It’s about water
intake and the choices you make in
your daily life. A person can see huge
changes in four, five, six weeks. It’s not
about living like a priest, but you have
to want it. All the famous people I mentioned before really wanted it. When
Jennifer Lopez started training with me,
she would come to workout at five in
the morning, before filming on the set
all day.
TF: What does your typical day
look like?
GP: I go to bed at 8.30pm and get
up at 3.00am. Some people think it’s
crazy, but I never said I was perfect! It
works for me. It sets me up to do the
right thing everyday. I get up early so I
can work out. A lot of people say they
have no time to keep fit. It’s a choice.
I work out one hour a day, every day.
Then during training sessions, I show
clients two repetitions of each exercise.
I have a client who says that I am the
best ‘two reps guy in the world.’
TF: What do you think about
doping?
GP: In an ideal world, it would be great
to control drug use in sports. There are
guys taking steroids as well as other
agents so that the steroids doesn’t
show up in the test. Do I think doping
has increased recently? Yes, it has. But
I don’t think everyone is doing it. But
then—we have to decide what you consider doping. Certain things are legal in
some sports and illegal in others.
TF: How much does it cost to work
with you?
GP: Less than people end up paying in
medical bills when they don’t take care
of themselves!
15
Culture & CUSTOMS
All of the articles found in the following pages are written by independent collaborators. The Florentine seeks to publish
stories that are interesting, entertaining, and useful to all of our readers. If and when a writer expresses opinions within his
or her work those opinions should be considered to be those of the writer and not necessarily those of the publishers of this
newspaper. If you wish to submit articles for consideration please contact us at redazione@theflorentine.net.
ITALIAN VOICES: a window on language
and customs in Italy...‘prendere in giro’
‘In Italy, when we tease a
person, it means we hold
them in high regard.‘
by Linda Falcone
L
unch at Lola’s is a true taste of Tuscan
theatre. Everyday, my colleagues and I
squeeze in the door at half past twelve
in efforts to beat our neighbours to the corner
table. The menu is written on a paper placemat and hung on the wall weekly, but if we all
order different things Lola scolds us for bringing confusion to her brain.
Food in Italy always brings about some sort
of debate. Now that it’s summer, my colleague
Giovanni has taken to ordering an ice-cream
sandwich after lunch. Half of it’s chocolate and
the other half’s vanilla. There is always suspense
at the table before he tears open the wrapper. If
he opens it on the chocolate side, it’s destined to
be a good day. Vanilla first brings bad luck. After
five days of continued dessert-induced suspense,
I finally asked him. ‘If you want to eat the other
side first, why don’t you just flip the ice-cream
around?’
‘Flip it around?’ my colleague asked, appalled
by the suggestion. You can’t manipulate il destino
like that!’
‘Giovanni, it’s not destiny. It’s an ice-cream
sandwich.’
‘See!’ he said, slapping his hand on his knee.
‘This is where I see you are American. Flip the
gelato! That would go against Italian fatalistic
principles. But, Americans are always convinced
that they have the power to make a situation come
out the way they want. You think you can have
control over the current of life’s events!’
‘No. What I think is that you are completely
neurotic and should limit your caffeine intake.’
My friend laughed. Odd as the conversation
was, it was destined to become odder before our
coffee was through. ‘Well, at least tell me why
“vanilla first brings bad luck?”’ I wanted to know.
‘Because I like vanilla better and would prefer
to eat it last.’ Everyone else at the table agreed. It’s
always best to finish with one’s favourite.
‘Actually, I always start with my best flavour,’ I
mused.
‘It must be an American thing. You come from
the society of instant gratification. You want what
you want and you want it fast,’ Giovanni told me.
‘Yes, and what I want right now is to kick you
in the shins. Stop taking every word I say and
making it into a cultural study on the American
mentality!’
‘Look who’s talking! You can dish it out but,
you can’t take it, little Miss Italian Voices.’
I frowned. ‘Are you being mean to me on purpose or are you doing it by accident?’ I asked.
‘Mean to you? I’m not being mean to you! Ti
prendo in giro. If I didn’t tease you a bit, you’d
never know how deeply I love you.’
Intercultural relationships are never easy. But
today, we seemed to be having a particularly hard
time. There are several elements of this exchange
that I find worthy of discussion. But first thing’s
first. For those who are wondering, Giovanni, does
not, in fact, ‘love me deeply.’ At best, he thinks I’m
smart. At worst, he thinks I’m a pain in the neck.
The feeling, of course, is mutual. Another day, I
would make sure to inform him that Englishspeaking men would risk their inheritance if they
declared ‘deep love’ to a lady-colleague on lunch
break. Right then, though, I wanted to talk about
teasing.
‘Listen, Deep Love,’ I told my friend, ‘Don’t
prendermi in giro too much. I’d much rather
love you than fight you.’
‘Oh Linda, sometimes you are quite slow
to understand,’ Giovanni grinned. ‘In Italy,
when we tease a person, it means we hold
them in high regard. We consider them smart
enough to capture the core of the joke. Intelligent people can always face themselves
without offence.’
An entirely Italian concept, I found his
reasoning quite profound and it got my mind
ticking. If translated literally, the expression ‘ti
prendo in giro’ can be translated as ‘I take you
around,’ which to me, sounds like an invitation
to see the city. It is an invitation in a way but, the
landscape you’ll be taken to see may surprise you.
Ti prendo in giro implies a free tour of the true
you. Let your enemies be false to your face and
tell you your talents. In Italy, trust your friends to
tattle your truths. Ti prendo in giro, means they
are going to take you sight-seeing but, your weaknesses will be the monuments you’ll be forced to
visit. Admittedly, it’s a bit of a torturous trip at
first, but it can prove quite worthwhile once you
get the hang of it. Italians tease mercilessly. The
more merciless the ‘giro’ the deeper the bond.
‘Okay, Giova,’ I sigh, ‘Let’s pretend I get your
point. Teasing is a form of high regard. Va bene, I
believe you. What I can’t believe is that you order
chocolate ice-cream everyday when you don’t
even like it. Why not choose the sandwich that
only has vanilla?’
‘And miss out on the suspense? Suspense is
much more pleasurable than ice-cream, Linda,
and if you’d open your mind, you’d know that.’
‘Let’s make a deal, Giovanni. I’ll open my
mind, if you shut your mouth.’
My colleague smiled. He loves it when I’m
mean to him. In Italy, it’s just more proof of ‘loving deeply’.
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16
Life in Italy
Culture & CUSTOMS
Forza Azzurri!!!
Watching the World Cup through ‘Blue’ eyes
By Leo Cardini
W
e all know that in the Belpaese, football is a fundamental part of everyday
life, 365 days a year, 24 hours a
day. There is, however a segment of
the Italian population that remains
entirely untouched by this national
disease. First, there are the wives
and children of those guys who
spend all their time at the stadium.
Traumatized by their fathers’ soccer-induced Dr. Jeckyll and Mr.
Hyde transformation each Sunday,
they choose to practice a different
sport. Then, there are the artists and
intellectuals who don’t want to mix
with the mass of desperate fans who
suffer profound moral dilemmas
over eleven guys in shorts running
after a ball.
But every four years, the miracle
repeats itself. The moment of the
World Cup arrives and the Nazionale Azzurra runs out onto the field,
and even those ‘desaparecidos’
who claim to be allergic to football, find themselves a spot on the
crowded sofa to watch the match. If
the neighbourhood bar hangs up a
white sheet on which to project the
game, these impromptu fans flock
there for drinks and sudden soccer
thrills. Otherwise, they go see the
match in the town’s main square,
ready to use the central fountain as
a swimming pool should the Blue
team lasso an unexpected victory.
The ‘desaparicidos’ try and keep
themselves well-hidden, or heavily masked with shirts, wigs and
hats (all blue, of course) in hopes
of not being recognized. Still, they
are there. And their passion for the
game is complete.
Then there are the professionisti,
true professional fans, like my friend
Alessandro, the person with whom
I’ve had the privilege of sharing
the last few World Cup matches. Il
Professionista watches every single
World Cup match. If there’s a game
on while he’s at work, he videotapes
it. It’s just too easy to save one’s
enthusiasm for Italy, the conventional Brazilian team or Argentina.
Il Professionista even gets excited
about the unwatchable 0-0 match
between Liechtenstein and the Far
Oer Islands, broadcast at two in
the morning. Friends are allowed
to watch the game with him—but no
more than two at a time and only
those rigorously chosen. He leaves
the telephone off the hook, has a
beer during the first half, and another
in the second. He watches football
with an expert eye and doesn’t root
for anyone in particular. A master
of objectivity, il Professionista professes loyalty to the motto ‘may the
best man win.’ Usually that means
Brazil. Il Professionista has been
a fan of his favourite team (in this
case the Fiorentina) since before he
was born.
The third group is made up of the
tifosi, people who normally watch
football throughout the year. When
the World Cup comes to town, they
become virtually possessed by the
Blue Devil and enter into a catatonic state for the entire Italian
adventure. They dress their children
in Totti’s jersey and take two days
off work when Italy plays. They send
their wives to the seaside, happy for
once to pay for their mother-in-laws’
hotel stay. I tifosi are those who love
to watch the game in the company
of anywhere from 20 to 200 people. They are prone to organizing
numerous dinner parties in honour
of the Blue team—usually at other
people’s houses. Then they show up
with cases of beer, new year’s eve
horns and a giant flag to hang from
the windowsill. I tifosi park their
scooters at their host’s door, ready
to zip out into the celebratory traffic frenzy that occurs in event of a
win. This type of World Cup junkie
is probably the most numerous of
the four.
Another interesting category
of soccer fans is gli sportivi. They
possess a profound knowledge of
football (so they say) and delight in
maintaining a level of cool detachment towards the game. During ani-
mated football arguments at a bar,
they always keep to the sidelines.
You can recognize them by their
slightly raised eyebrows. Gli sportivi
are generally in total disagreement
with all of the coaches’ decisions.
Always ready to praise the heroic
acts of the ‘Italian heroes’ in case
of victory, they are equally eager
to offend those ‘spoiled rich fools’
if the Nazionale team loses. Defeat
will often cause a sportivo to smile.
He knew it all along. And with an
air of superiority, he’ll tell you so: ‘I
knew things would end up this way.
It was clear from the very beginning.
It’s impossible to win with a team
like this one.’ Then he’ll continue by
listing all the details of his ‘personal
training plan’ which undoubtedly
would have brought the Blue team
to World Cup triumph and victory.
In addition to these four categories, there are certainly other
exceptions and special cases. Take,
for example, my friend Marcellino,
otherwise known as ‘Sintesis’ for his
incredible capacity to take at least
45 minutes to tell you that tomorrow
it might rain. He is beyond doubt the
most ignorant person I know regarding soccer. I’d bet money that he
couldn’t even guess how many players make up a team. But Marcello
is a real professional when it comes
to the very Italian art of courting
women, so during the World Cup
you’ll find him dressed like Ronaldinho at the Brasilian fan-club party,
dancing the Samba at the Cascine.
Or when the USA plays, you’ll find
him in front of the maxi screen in
Piazzale Michelangelo wrapped in
an American flag, squeezed between
two girls from California.
In the end, this too, is passion.
And that, after all, is what the World
Cup is all about.
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Workshop, Show Rooms and classes
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17
Life in Italy
Culture & CUSTOMS
Raindrops kept falling
The birth of the Tuscan cigar
By Deirdre Pirro
‘The Toscano, or Tuscan cigar, is the most
popular cigar in Italy. It not only commands an 80-percent share of the market,
but it has also generated a series of offspring, like the smaller Toscanello.’
S
moking is politically incorrect these days,
but there will always be the die-hards and
rebels. Cigar smokers are among such free
spirits. They consider themselves the royalty of
smokers and will go to extraordinary lengths to
satisfy their habit – even risking fines or imprisonment in America if caught buying or smuggling
the outlawed though much loved Cuban cigar.
But lovers of Cuban cigars are not the only
‘purists.’ Italy has its very own breed. In fact, Italy
is the most important tobacco producing country
in Europe and has long boasted its own distinctive
cigar industry. According to a report published in
2003 by the Tobacco Observatory, tobacco crops
cover approximately 37,000 acres of land in Italy
- mainly in Veneto, Tuscany, Umbria, Lazio and
Campagna - producing approximately 125,000
tons of tobacco, just under 2 percent of global
production.
The Toscano, or Tuscan cigar, is the most
popular cigar in Italy. It not only commands an
80-percent share of the market, but it has also
generated a series of offspring, like the smaller
Toscanello. Made even more famous by being
clinched between Clint Eastwood’s teeth in his
many spaghetti westerns, the Toscano is traditionally tapered in shape, while a panatella about six
inches in length, with a uniquely strong flavour
and rich aroma.
As fact is often more mysterious than fiction,
the Toscano was first produced and given its
name by pure accident over a century and a half
ago. One summer day at the tobacco factory in
Florence, a bale of Kentucky tobacco leaves - a
high quality variety of tobacco grown in Italy was left out in the open. Caught in an unexpected
downpour of rain, the leaves got wet and started
to ferment. Not wishing to make too great a loss
on this mishap, the wily factory manager decided
to dry out what he could of the fermenting leaves
and turn them into cheap cigars. To further save
money, he only used tobacco filler inside a single Kentucky outer leaf to make the cigars. He
then simply put a band around them (now in
the colours of the Italian flag) instead of covering
them with a wrapper, which today is still one
of their characteristics. They became known as
Toscani and were an overnight success. Soon the
king, Vittorio Emanuele II, and even Garibaldi
were smoking them.
In 1818, regular production of the Toscani was
transferred to the tobacco factory in Lucca, then
part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. Processing
and production methods have changed very little
since then. When farmers harvest the tobacco,
they hang the leaves in rows and slowly dry them
out over the heat and smoke from fires. The dried
leaves are then sorted and bundled together, ready
to be sold. On reaching the factory in Lucca, the
leaves are immersed in water to restore humidity
which allows them to be transformed into cigars,
either completely by hand (for the best quality
products) or partially by machine.
Traditionally, women cigar makers hand roll
the Toscani. After 18 months of training, they
acquire the skill to make one cigar almost identi-
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cal to another in size and shape. They ensure that
sufficient space is left for air to pass by not packing the tobacco too tightly which would prevent
the cigars from “drawing” properly. An expert
cigar maker can roll over 500 cigars a day.
Next the cigars are placed on trays and put
in special chambers to dry out. Finally, with this
process complete, they are left to ‘age’ in cellars, much like good wine, where they mature for
a period of not less than four months and sometimes as long as 12 months. Only then are they
ready for sale at your local tobacconist.
On March 10 of this year, in a deal worth 95
million euro, the manufacturers of the Toscano,
the Italian subsidiary of British American
Tobacco, sold the brand back to Italian proprietors, the Bologna-based Maccaferri Group. The
tobacco processing plant in Forano della Chiana
and the production factories in Lucca and Cava
de Tirreni were included in the agreement. While
the transaction still has to be approved by the
Italian Government and the competition watchdog, no problems are anticipated.
Deirdre Pirro is an Australian lawyer who has lived
and worked in Florence for many years. Apart from
her general practice, she is currently working on a book
on particular aspects of art law and she dedicates much
of her time to environmental protection. She also has
a special interest in food and its history, particularly in
relation to popular customs and traditions.
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18
Life in Italy
STYLE & FASHION
Catching Vespa fever
Taking a spin on the scooter that stings
By Helen Bond
M
y first trip to Italy was
in 1994, when I was
18. It was my first holiday without my family. Just me
and my friends. The trip was an
escape, and Italy was the perfect
place to come for a taste of life,
to learn that your time is to be
savoured, enjoyed, sometimes
risked and at all costs, lived.
And the thing that summed this
up, that enchanted and romanticised my 18 year old eyes and
ears wasn’t the talk of gladiators in the Coliseum, or the
awed silence surrounding the
David; it wasn’t the charm of the Italian men, or
the beauty of the sunset over the Ponte Vecchio.
The thing that made me want to strike out on my
own two feet, that which captured the essence of
Italy and spurred my teenage yearning for independence with a buzzing, energetic sting—was
the Vespa.
This dazzling demonstration of Italian design
has come to epitomise so many things, to so many
generations over the last 60 years, that it’s difficult
to know where to begin. When I mentioned my
plan to write about Vespas to my godmother, she
immediately exclaimed with whimsical enthusiasm how much she loved her two-wheeled friend
in the 60’s. (This stunned me, as it’s always hard
to imagine your parents’ generation as lively and
energetic as your own.) When I asked her what
the Vespa meant to her, her reply was the same as
all those who I’d asked before: ‘freedom’. Freedom to go where she wanted, freedom from the
home, freedom to visit the coast or the city, to
meet whom she wanted when she wanted.
Back when it was launched in 1946, the Vespa
became synonymous with a host of other freedoms too. Vespa meant a glimpse of potential
economic freedom in a post war era, a release
from a life of farm labor for those who came to
be employed at the Piaggio factory in Pontedera.
For many Italian women, the right to vote (first
granted in Italy in 1948) coincided with the
introduction of this tidy little two-wheeler, who
virtually untied their hands from the kitchen
sink. And through the introduction of part payments, Enrico
Piaggio ensured that the Vespa
reached as far into society as
it could. Here was a relatively
low cost, economical, practical
vehicle which would get you
to work (without oil stains on
your beautifully pressed pantaloni) and much further, should
you wish.
After the economic and
political destruction of World
War II, the Vespa offered Italy
a bright, beautifully-designed
and -engineered buzz of optimism. Move from the 40s to the 50s and you find
the Vespa freeing Hepburn’s incognito princess
to fall in love with Gregory Peck. You glimpse
Charlton Heston on his Vespa during time out
from filming Ben Hur, not to mention a role for
the little ‘wasp’ in a host of Italian films, including La Notte Brava and Bellissima.
In the 1960s, the Vespa represented the search
for liberty and the aspirations of a generation
seeking release from the stifling hardships of
everyday life. Gilberto Filippetti’s advertising
slogan ‘Chi “Vespa” mangia le mele’ (or ‘He who
“Vespas” eats apples’) grabbed the imagination of
those under 30, enticing Italian youth to ‘Vespa’
with all its connotations of forbidden fruits,
golden apples, the ‘Big Apple’ of America. On
into the 70’s and the Piaggio production line suffered as much as the next from the oil crisis. But
still the Vespa held on to its roots as it became
linked to women’s liberation, opening up opportunities for freedom of expression, creativity and
most importantly female independence.
In 1980, a record 815,000 two-wheelers were
sold, but just three years later this number had
halved, and it wasn’t until the 1990s that sales
began to recover, reaching 300,000 in 1999.
Finally, the year 2000 saw the opening of the
Giovanni Alberto Agnelli Piaggio Museum in
Pontedera. When a scooter gets a museum you
know you have an undisputed classic on your
hands. For information visit www.museopiaggio.
com. Now, in 2006, my Vespa experience is lim-
con vespa
si puó
With a history that spans 60
years, the Vespa has come to
represent liberty and freedom
to more than one generation.
Helen Bond celebrates the
Vespa’s birthday with a look
into why the motor scooter
is as inspirational and vibrant
now as it was back in 1946.
con vespa
si puó
con vespa
si puó
con vespa
si puó
ited to that of a pillion passenger, weaving in and
out of traffic with that Italian grace in impatience
that I would never be able to muster myself with
my clumsy Anglo-Saxon irritability. But even as
a passenger a vibrancy is present, a thrill and
energy coursing through the veins like morning’s
first shot of espresso.
Back in 1994 Italy captured my 18-year-old
heart and showed me what there was fun to be
had and how life was to be lived. And today I
envy the Italian youth, because what better way
is there to navigate life than accompanied by the
buzz of the Vespa?
Helen Bond has been attempting to satiate her appetite for all things Italian since January. Despite returning
to Oxford, England in May she continues to study Italian and is currently trying to grasp the past conditional
tense whilst dreaming of returning from the spires of
Oxford to the spires of Florence.
Try Sam’s for a bit of America !!
SAM’ S
MARKETS
Florence
Amsterdam
SAM'S Amsterdam opening soon!
Over 250 products imported by Sam’s from the USA:
Skippy Peanut Butter (Crunchy and Smooth), A & W Root Beer, Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper, 7-Up,
Welch’s Juices (Grape, Cranberry)Lipton Cup a Soup, Oreos, Hunt’s Chile con Carne, Starkist Tuna,
Starbucks Coffees, CoffeeMate, Heinz Baked Beans, Jiffy Pie-crust & Cake Mix, Reeses Pieces,
Hershey’s Candies, Quaker Instant Oatmeal, Chips Ahoy, Squirt, Planters Salted Peanuts, Chef
Boyardee Soups, Betty Crocker Cake Mixes, Croutons and Stuffing, Pumpkin Pie Mix, Hellmanns
Mayo, Nutter Butter Cookies, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, Cheez-it, Doritos, Pop Tarts, Campbells
Soups, Nabisco Saltines, Pop Secret Popcorn ……and a lot more !
SAM’S HAS IT !
Sam’s is located in the center of Florence near the Bargello Museum
Via Ghibellina 117r. - Tel. 055-7189020
Store hours: Mon-Sat 11.00 am – 7.00 pm
www.samsmarkets.com
19
Life in Italy
The ARTS
‘Passion For Life’
International art exhibition supports cancer research
By Lynn Davis
Irises in morning light,
Antoine Gaber
O
ne of the best things about
Florence in the summer
months is being able to be
out and about with events, concerts
and exhibitions; there is always an
array of things going on to do and
see. Here’s an idea for something to
do while you’re roaming the streets,
looking to get away from the heat
and flocks of people: pop your head
into the church of Santo Stefano,
just a stone’s throw from the Ponte
Vecchio, and there in the Chiostro
Museo Diocesano (the Diocesan
Museum of Sacred Art) you will
find an exhibition of international
contemporary artworks as part of
the programme, ‘Passion for Life’.
Between June and October, this
series of exhibitions will be shown
in Santo Stefano’s Museum, as well
as at the Grand Hotel Baglioni.
The idea for ‘Passion for Life’
was developed by the Canadian
artist, Antoine Gaber, to support
cancer research. A percentage of
the sales not only of his works
themselves but other works online,
such as catalogues, reproductions
of works, even postcards, will go
towards breast cancer research. The
artworks in “Passion for Life” range
from sculpture to digital art to painting in a range of styles, and include
artists from all over the world from
Korea to Mexico to Brazil. Actually
shown as a series of exhibitions, with
Antoine Gaber starting off with his
own solo show, the other seventeen
artists will be showing their works
in groups of two or three up until
October.
Antoine Gaber’s work can be
described as ‘Post-Impressionist’
with paintings that are reminiscent
of the works of Monet and Van
Gogh. He has been dedicating his
time to cancer research for the last
20 years, and since 1999 has been
using his artwork as a way to raise
awareness and funds for cancer.
Amongst the artists in the exhibitions following Gaber’s, you will
find the works of Polish photographer Andrezej Jerzy Lech, who creates timeless black and white photographs of city-scapes, while the
Japanese artist Sumio Inoue uses
photography to create dark, atmospheric images printed with photo
emulsion on Japanese paper – dark
church interiors emerge out of the
fibres of the paper almost looking
like paintings rather than photographs. The work of Dutch artist
Jackie Sleper is an interesting mix
of painting, photography and other
media to create colourful and fanciful artworks of animals and children
in fairytale-like worlds.
‘Passion for Life’ is a gallant
gesture that intertwines beauty
and a good cause, set in the backdrop of one of Florence’s historical churches. The ex-convent of
Santo Stefano al Ponte, which
sits in between the Ponte Vecchio
and the Uffizi Gallery, dates back
to the early twelfth century. In
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PAPIER ARTI e MESTIERI
Paper Shop
Photo Albums
Journals
Diaries
Playing Cards
Invitations
Business Cards
Menus
Letterheads
Recipes
Artistic Calendars
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recent times, the church has had to
undergo reconstructions after several unfortunate events: it was damaged extensively during World War
II from mines when the bridges and
buildings surrounding the Ponte
Vecchio were bombed. Later, it was
again damaged in the flood of 1966,
which left virtually nothing in the
historical centre escape unharmed.
San Stefano al Ponte was also partly
damaged by the bomb that was set
off near the Uffizi Gallery in via dei
Georgofili in 1993. The Diocesan
Museum of the church was opened
in 1995, and holds works of sacred
Italian art and includes important
artists such as Giotto, Pisano, Paolo
Ucello and Filippo Lippi. It is here
in the heart of the historic centre
of Florence that this exhibition will
share its space with these Medieval
and Renaissance greats. The dates
for the exhibitions in the Diocesan
Museum of Santo Stefano are from
July 1-30 and then from September
15 to October 14. The museum is
free to enter and is open every day
from 11 am to 1 pm and 4 pm until
8 pm.
The rest of the exhibition will be
held on the elegant terrace of the
Hotel Baglioni in Piazza dell’Unità
Italiana from September 1-30. The
terrace is also free to enter and open
every day from 5 pm, which by the
way, also conveniently coincides
with Happy Hour for an aperitif.
For more information on Antoine
Gaber’s programme “Passion for
Life”, visit the website: www.antoinegaber.com, or for more information on the exhibitions you can call
055/292082.
e
escape from mediocrity ||||||||||||
INTERNATIONAL STUDIO
HAIR AND MAKE UP
via Porta Rossa 82r
FLORENCE
o55 293393
o55 2194o2
20
Life in Italy
Travel & LEISURE
Siena: city of colour
Duomo, Siena
an art gallery featuring all the greats
of Sienese Gothic painting and
the Palazzo Piccolomini, the state
archive museum where you will find
the Biccherna tablets. These beautiful and interesting pieces of art
were used as the covers for the city’s
accounts books from the thirteenth
century onwards and are perfect for
those interested in both history and
art – as is the whole of Siena.
A visit to Florence’s favourite enemy
By Alison Conlon
Effects of Good Government on the City Life, Ambrogio Lorenzetti - Palazzo Pubblico
Photo by Alison Conlon
S
iena has a more insular and
less forthcoming atmosphere
than Florence – but it’s one
you definitely should get to know. If
you have little time to spend in the
city, use it wisely by wandering the
steep and twisting streets, viewing
the numerous palazzi, the Duomo,
the Campo, churches and shops
filled with local produce.
But it is best to spend at least
one day visiting some of the museums. First stop on anyone’s list
should be the shell-shaped Campo
that is the heart of Siena and the
place where the famous horse race,
the Palio, happens twice a year. In
what is claimed to be most beautiful piazza in Italy, you will find the
Palazzo Pubblico and the Torre del
Mangia – as well as numerous cafés
and restaurants vying for the tourists’ cash. Ignore the prices and sit
down with a coffee, enjoying the
view for 15 minutes before making
your way into the Museo Civico in
the palace.
Begun in 1297, the Palazzo Pubblico is a monument to Siena’s past
achievements. Not only beautiful to
look at on the outside, inside you
will find some of the most important pieces of Siena’s art history.
In the Sala della Pace is Ambrogio
Lorenzetti’s triumph, The Allegory
of Good and Bad Government,
which was painted in 1338 and was
there to remind the ruling council
of what they should and shouldn’t
be doing. Therefore, on one wall
the fresco shows a thriving city that
is clearly Siena, where people are
working at all trades and the land
outside the city walls thrives. On the
opposite wall, there is Bad Government, with a city ruled by a demon,
where thieves thrive and everyone
looks after themselves rather than
working together for the common
good. Other highlights in the palazzo include a fabulous Maestà by
Simone Martini and two chapels
painted by Taddeo di Bartolo.
Don’t miss climbing up the steps
to the Loggia, where the Council
of Nine used to get some fresh air
because they were unable to leave
the Palazzo Pubblico during their
term of office, which usually lasted
two months. The views of the market square and surrounding area are
beautiful but if you are unafraid of
heights then you really should climb
the 503 steps of the Torre del Mangia. Looking down on to the winding streets of this medieval, orangecoloured city is amazing, before
your eyes drift over the rolling hills
of the Tuscan countryside.
Another vantage point is the
Museo dell’Opera Metropolitana, or
more precisely, a section of the ‘new’
Duomo, which was to be an extension of the old one. Building started
in 1339 to celebrate the success of
Siena, as well as make the cathedral
bigger and better than the recentlybegan Duomo of Florence. Unfortunately, the Black Death came along
in 1348, wiping out more than half
of the population. It caused such
chaos for the political regime that
never again did Siena reach such
heights. The new Duomo was never
finished and remains a constant
reminder of the city’s failure. The
façade is a much easier climb than
the Torre del Mangia and definitely
worth the effort for the sea of roof
tiles that awaits you at the top, as
well as a perfect view of the Palazzo
Pubblico. The rest of the museum
features numerous pieces of beautiful Sienese art, including Duccio’s
monumental Maestà. Visitors can
appreciate a double-sided altarpiece
painted in the early 1300s; on completion it was paraded through the
town in triumph before being placed
on the high altar of the Duomo.
From the museum, head into the
Duomo itself, which is strikingly
decorated with zebra-striped bands
of black and white marble. Once
inside, look out for Nicola Pisano’s
pulpit of 1269, the marble pavement featuring 56 panels crafted
over 200 years by almost every artist who worked in the city. Then
look for what I consider the cathedral’s crowning glory, the Piccolomini Library, which has a series of
brightly-coloured sixteenth century
frescos by Pinturicchio, celebrating
the life of Pius II.
If during all this touring, you need
sustenance, head down the hill to
Le Campane Ristorante, at Via delle
Campane 6, just off one of the main
thoroughfares, Via de Città. They
serve fabulous Sienese food, so take
time to enjoy dishes like the pasta
with wild boar sauce, pecorino-filled
ravioli and roasted meats. And if,
after all that pasta, you still have the
energy to continue, further sightseeing recommendations include Santa
Maria della Scala, the medieval pilgrim hospital opposite the Duomo
that is now open for everyone to
view the frescos which until the
1980s were only visible to the ill.
Or visit the Pinacoteca Nazionale,
(Please note that the best way to get
to Siena from Florence is by bus,
which takes just over an hour and
stops right in the centre of the city, in
Piazza Matteotti. Buses depart from
Florence at the bus station on Via
Santa Caterina, next to the railway
station of Santa Maria Novella.)
21
Life in Italy
Thursday 20 April 2006
Travel & LEISURE
The Palio: ready, set, go
painting by Cathy Gale
A medieval horse race brings Siena alive
By Kara Hoffman
S
ummer in Siena means the Palio – a famed
historic horse race run each year on July 2
and Aug. 16. The Palio tradition dates back
to the 11th century, when the race was initiated to
honor the Madonna dell’Assunta, patroness and
advocate of Siena, for her protection of the Sienese
militia in their battles against the Florentines.
The main players of the Palio are the city’s 17
contrade, or neighborhoods, as designated back
in the middle ages. The contrade formerly served
a military function, though through the years the
militaristic aspects have disappeared and the contrade now function as multiple tight-knit communities within the city. Each contrada of Siena has
its own government, coat of arms, emblem and
colors. Today rivalries run high among contrade.
Some advise, for instance, against marrying outside one’s contrada, as it is likened to breaking a
birthright.
These rivalries culminate at the Palio. While
the actual race lasts just over a minute, the planning and festivities leading up to the dropping of
the rope on July 2 and Aug. 16 last for months.
Each year, April 26 marks the opening of parade
season. Each contrada– porcupine, goose, giraffe,
snail and eagle, to name a few–celebrates its
patron saint with a lively and colorful procession
throughout the streets of Siena.
For each Palio race, only 10 of the 17 contrade
are chosen to participate. On the day of the tratta,
or the official drawing of the horses, 10 horses
are selected and assigned to the participating contrade–luck playing a large role in the process. For
the next four days, fierce competition dominates
as the contrade begin preparing for the Palio.
During these final crucial days, Siena’s breathtaking Piazza del Campo is transformed into the
official race track, the perimeter ring being covered by a layer of dirt and sand. The length of the
circle is .21 of a mile and the race entails three
loops around the campo, equaling .66 of a mile in
total. The race typical lasts a minute and a half,
give or take 10 seconds.
The race’s death-defying speeds require external and internal barricades and protective padding in specific areas. The most dangerous of
these areas is the curve at the front right area of
‘When the winning
horse crosses the
finish line (with or
without the jockey
on its back) the
Piazza del Campo
erupts in pandemonium – in shouts,
songs, and tears.‘
the Piazza, known as the curve of San Martino.
This 95-degree angle has been the site of nearly
60 percent of the accidents that have happened in
the past 20 years.
After the horses are assigned, the days are filled
with six trial runs, on-going celebrations and, the
night before the race, a final rehearsal dinner.
Each contrada lays out rows of tables 50-feet long
in the street, and local restaurateurs serve bottomless bowls of pasta, platters of an assorted meats,
and jugs of wine during the estimated 25,000 diners.
On the mornings of July 2 and Aug. 16, anticipation and excitement fills the streets of Siena
and fazzoletti, or the colorful scarves of each contrada, are proudly tied around the necks of both
young and old. A final trial run is then held. The
horses are taken to the participating contrada’s
church for a benediction. The final parade and
procession begins as the Piazza del Campo fills
with revellers from near and far. The seats and
bleachers that have been erected all around the
track host the 33,000 ticket holders are lucky
enough to have a seat. Every window, balcony
and loggia is filled and the center of the piazza
is filled with nearly 50,000 brave souls willing to
be “trapped” inside the piazza once the entrance
has been officially closed, approximately three
hours before the start of the race. The piazza is
then sealed off until after the race is completed,
signifying no bathroom breaks and limited accessibility to water and other liquids.
Seconds before the race begins, loud shouts
and competing songs of rival contrade fill the air.
Jockeys riding bareback, or a pelo, work to line up
the horses, making last minute deals with other
jockeys to outsmart fierce rivals while waiting
for officials to signal the race’s start. False starts
often plague the beginning and when the rope is
finally dropped, the race is over before the blink
of an eye.
When the winning horse crosses the finish line
(with or without the jockey on its back) the Piazza
del Campo erupts in pandemonium – in shouts,
songs, and tears. The winning contrada floods the
racetrack in celebration, having earned bragging
rights for the coming year.
This year the Palio will be held on:
Sunday, July 2, 2006 at 7:30
Wednesday, August 16, 2006 at 7:00
For more information visit www.ilpalio.org
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22
News & Views
Book REVIEWS
Lasting Love, Politics and Poetry
In the bicentennial year of Elizabeth Barrett-Browning’s birth,
Ed Hayes reads the most Florentine poem of the most romantic Anglo-Florentine
E
lizabeth and Robert Browning arrived in Italy in 1846
following a secret marriage
in London. For Elizabeth, coming
to Florence was a merciful release.
As an invalid, she revelled in the
air, “so much lighter and more elastic” than the smog of London. And
more, she was escaping the claustrophobic brutality of her father’s
house – her father felt betrayed by
the secret love affair, and afterwards
cut off all ties with her. The Brownings’ courtship was immortalised in
Elizabeth’s secretly written Sonnets
From the Portuguese: “How Do I
love thee? Let me count the ways!
/ I love thee to the depth & breadth
& height / My Soul can reach…”
Robert later insisted that
they be published – as
translations to disguise
how personal they were.
He wrote later “I dared
not reserve to myself the
finest sonnets written
in any language since
Shakespeare’s”.
The Italy they came
to was in rapid flux. It
was a divided land – the
Austrians ruling in the
north, the Spaniards
oppressing the south, an
Austrian Grand Duke,
Leopold, ruling Tuscany from the
Palazzo Pitti, and the Pope holding
Rome and the surrounding lands.
Elizabeth followed the struggles of
the Risorgimento – the movement to
unify and bring freedom to Italy. In
her poem Casa Guidi Windows, she
celebrates the civic liberties granted
by the Grand Duke: “I heard last
night a little child go singing / ‘Neath
Casa Guidi windows, by the church /
‘O Bella Liberta, O Bella!’” On their
first wedding anniversary, Elizabeth
and Robert had watched the people’s procession of celebration pass
beneath their house near Piazza San
Felice. The poem reveals Elizabeth’s
excitement as a lifelong invalid who
suddenly has the opportunity to wit-
‘I HEARD last night a little child so singing
’Neath Casa Guidi windows, by the church,
O bella libertà, O bella!—stringing
The same words still on notes he went in search
So high for, you concluded the upspringing
Of such a nimble bird to sky from perch
Must leave the whole bush in a tremble green,
And that the heart of Italy must beat,
While such a voice had leave to rise serene
’Twixt church and palace of a Florence street:
A little child, too, who not long had been
By mother’s finger steadied on his feet,
And still O bella libertà he sang.’
JULIET OF NATIONS, Casa Guidi Windows
British Institute, Lungarno Guicciardini 9
Wednesday 5 July
At 15.00, reading of Casa Guidi Windows (See review)
At 17.00 visit to Casa Guidi, house of the Brownings
At 18.00 Lecture:
200th Anniversary of the birth of Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Sister Julia Bolton Holloway is Professor Emerita of Medieval Studies at the University of Colorado, Boulder, previously custodian of the
Browning’s Casa Guidi house in Florence and custodian of the cemetery in Piazzale Donatello, known as the ‘English Cemetery’, where
the Brownings lie buried.
Poetry along
the silver river
BOOK REVIEW
Title: PERCORSO GUIDATO
The Guide to Florence with exercises and activities for students of Italian as
a foreign language
Ideal for pre-intermediate level students of
Italian, The Guide to Florence is a new and
useful tool for those who study Italian as
a foreign language. It is divided into short
chapters, complete with exercises and exercise
key, illustrations, and comments that relate to
particular texts and information on Florentine
language use. Its aim is to serve as a practical
guide which provides answers to questions
regarding cultural aspects of everyday life in
Italy. The guide also helps learners develop
vocabulary useful for a holiday in Florence.
This guide can be used as a supplement to a
course book in class or be enjoyed in its own
right by students who live either in or outside
Italy.
Author: S. du Bessé
ISBN: 88-7573-360-0
Price: 5.20 euro
Pages: 80
ness history firsthand. She admits
that she might be optimistic, but she
prefers “to sing with these who are
awake /with birds, with babes, with
men who will not fear…” In the second part of Casa Guidi Windows,
written 1849-50, she laments the
dashing of her hopes for freedom,
following the entrance of the hated
Austrian forces from the north into
Florence.
While some of Elizabeth’s political ideals were naïve, she was emotionally and intellectually engaged
with Italian events – Casa Guidi
Windows, indeed, was published
simultaneously in English and Italian translation in 1851. She is still
remembered in Italy for her part in
championing the ideals of the Risor-
Cultural events on the Arno
July 10-12, 24-25
Love stories and comedy shows inspired by the Divine Comedy
will be playing all summer aboard the antique sand boats of
the Renaioli rowers. The show ‘Come in America’ by Manuela
Critelli, will be preformed by actors Silvia Giudi and Fabio Mascagni who will interpret a ‘backwards’ version of the story of
The Inferno’s Paolo and Francesca.
June 29, July 17-19, 31
Bonacci editore
Via Paolo Mercuri 8
00193 Roma
Tel: 06/68300004
Fax: 06/69966382
[email protected]
www.bonacci.it
Navigate on the Arno from Ponte alle Grazie to Ponte alla Carraia, and enjoy the river’s natural beauty and a unique view of
Lungarno’s most beautiful palazzos. Onboard, feast your ears on
the Venturino Camaiti burlesque and humorous verses inspired
by Dante, Florence’s divine poet. Boats leave at 9:30 pm from
the ‘porticciola’ in Piazza Mentana. Tickets cost 20 euro.
For more information call 055/50000640.
***All shows will be preformed in Italian.
23
Useful Numbers and Classified Ads
Classified ADS
Housing For Sale/Immobili Vendita
Brand new villa in Camaiore (LU)
luxury finishing, on 3 levels. 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2 kitchens, 2
lounges, storage, cellar, garage, covered terrace, garden. Quite environment, beautiful view. 520.000 euro.
Call 3405010163
Reggello, Villa Padronale in favored
position overlooking Chianti hills, 4
bedrooms, 3 living areas and hectare
of olive trees. Contact www.toptuscanyrealestate.com
Chianti – Lucolena, 110 sqm. restored apartments in farmhouse, garden, cellar, pool, parking, panoramic
view 360,000,00 Euro. Developer
347.8138814 – 055.2322242
Hamlet in Tuscany for sale. Located
in the Municipality of Barberino di
Mugello. 8/10 km. from Lake Bilancino/Outlet/Golf Course/Race Track.
Hamlet needs partial restoration and
can be purchased partially or in full. Includes 15 flats, 6-acre park and small
lake. It is possible to build-on structure
should buyer intend to use for tourist
purposes. Fax 055/2336990. Email:
[email protected]
Loft For Sale in Prato. 2 lofts near
historic centre, each 137 sq. m., ideal
for home office. We can show layout
and location. For information, e-mail
[email protected]
Housing for Rent/Immobili in Affitto
Florentineflats.com offers quality
apartments in Florence city centre
at affordable prices, short and long
term rentals, minimum 5 days. Call
Rachel 348.0457857 / 055.685661,
[email protected]
Stunning and sophisticated loft
apartment in Palazzo Caponi. Tons of
original frescoes. Perfect for executive couple or single. 1 bedroom, 1
bath. 2,000 euro/month. Judieanne
Colusso +39.335.839-0712,
[email protected],
www.coloursoftuscany.com
Resident accommodations in the
San Frediano neighbourhood. Independent building with 31 rooms complete with bathroom, air-conditioning,
electronic entrance keys, winter and
summer courtyard, small car park. Also
guests universities and colleges for
both brief and long periods. For more
information write to [email protected] or
send a fax to 055/2336990.
Bagno a Ripoli. 3 bedroom, 2
bath apartment near International
elementary school. Small private
garden, garage, terrace. Lots of light
and beautiful Chianti views. Fully
furnished. 1,300 euro/month. Judieanne Colusso +39.335.839-0712,
[email protected],
www.coloursoftuscany.com
Near Piazzale Michelangelo secretly hidden with private garden
and only 15 minute walk to center.
2 bedroom, 2 bath. Fully furnished.
2,000 euro/month. Judieanne
Colusso +39.335.839-0712,
[email protected], www.
coloursoftuscany.com
Artist’s Loft for Sublet: Wonderful light for painting in via Santa
Spirito. Available Aug 1-Jan 1.
400 � per month (utilities included). Francesca 340 2459053,
[email protected]
A large room with private bathroom
with use of kitchen & sitting room in a
large & bright flat equipped with every
comfort (also for very short period,
close to piazza Gavinana), write to
e.dellachiesa@theflorentine.net
Private Lessons/Lezioni Private
Italian individual lessons in Florence.
Sharpen your grammar to enjoy conversation. Fluent English, Japanese, French
spoken. Call Alberto and his Japanese
wife Fumiko, tel. 055-475152, www.
azlanguage.it - [email protected]
Amici italiani with London School.
Italian courses small groups 2 hours per
day, weekly enrolments, first 2 hours
free, special prices under 26, free film,
evenings with Italian friends. Individual
lessons. Tel and fax 055.570029 or
055.585860, [email protected]
Private oil painting lessons in English
near Teatro Goldoni. Still life subject,
canvas, paints and easel supplied. All
levels welcome. For more information
please contact Cathy at 055.2207171/
338.1499392
Pistoia downtown (walk RR) elegantly renovated apt in historical bldg 4 lge
rooms well furnished short-long term
euro 900 pm+utl. Call 339.6928710
Italian lessons for all levels. Qualified
Italian teacher available for lessons in
Florence and the surrounding area.
Call Ghita 320.1432943
Help Wanted/Offerte di lavoro
Expert craftsman offers individual
or group classes in English or Italian. Introduction to chiseling and
embossing-theory and practice.
Introduction to technical design.
Call Fabrizio 338.5060720 or write
[email protected].
New York University in Florence
seeks candidates for the part-time
position of Community Resource Assistant. This four-month, renewable
opportunity includes on-duty coverage
for students in crisis situations, office
hours, events organization and assistance, facilities support, weekly meetings, and check-in and check-out facilitation. Compensation includes salary, living accommodations, and meal
plan. Experience working with U.S.
students, or interest in the area, preferred. Ability to speak and write English at proficient level required. Ability
to work legally in Italy is required and
the sole responsibility of the applicant.
Interested candidates should email a
cover letter and resume to: florence.
[email protected].
The French school of Florence is
seeking applications for an English
teacher at the elementary level. Qualified candidates will have a teaching
degree and prior experience with that
age group. Knowledge of French appreciated. Curriculum follows French
ministry guidelines. Training internship
will be provided. Send applications to
[email protected] before July 6.
Wanted: Au pair for Italian-English family, 3 children (12, 9,6),
Cure area. 1630-2000h Mon-Fri
and babysitting (c2 eves). Weekends free. Standard au pair rate.
[email protected],
cell 339 401 62 47
Luxury Fashion Bag Brand requires
a full time Office Manager/ Secretary.
Working knowledge and experience
of Italian business and administrative practices necessary. Fluent in
English and Italian, proficient in Microsoft Office and basic accounting
programmes. Exciting and inspiring
working environment, central Florence
location, opportunities for growth.
Call Thomas 339 781 2148
or 055 21 44 21
Leather Crafting Classes. Scuola del
Cuoio offers short-term (3 hours/1-2
days) & long-term (1 wk to 10 mths)
individual courses and classes under
a Master Leather Craftsman inside
the Monastery of Santa Croce, via
San Giuseppe 5 (thru the garden).
Enquiries: tel. 055.244.533 or
[email protected]. For more
info. visit www.leatherschool.com
Leisure & Vacation/
Tempo libero e vacanze
B&B in Poggio al Vento. Located in
a splendid nineteenth century villa.
Furnished with antique furniture, photos and souvenirs from all over the
world. Includes two master bedrooms
and a welcoming double bedroom.
Poggio al Veneto is a small company
that deals in organic agriculture. It’s
situated in the hills of Scandicci, in
Casignano, just a few kilometres from
Florence. Ideal for those who wish to
visit Florence without giving up the
chance to stay in the beautiful Tuscan countryside. For information and
reservations call: +39.055.7309861
or +39.328.3876663 or write to
[email protected]
Panoramic colonial house in the
hills of Chianti, only 15 km from
Florence. Surrounded by a large park
and olive grove, swimming pool. 4-6
person flats for rent for brief periods,
completely furnished. Quiet, family-style
atmosphere. Landlords available on
site for any needs. Tel. 333.2203265,
e-mail [email protected]
Services/Servizi
Personal tech guru. Hire an experienced professional to improve your
digital life. Resolves computer, internet, software, personal electronics
issues. Joe 3285608842.
Body Language Pilates and Yoga
Studio. An intimate studio near Centro offers many level-specific classes
daily of group Yoga and Pilates mats
taught in English with private apparatus sessions available. Call D. Clark
at 335.790.4029
Do you have difficulties putting together your resume and cover
letter? I am a graduate of Cambridge
University, UK, and have helped numerous people get interviews for jobs
with the help of a well-written resume
and cover letter. For 50 euro, I will
meet with you, and write a resume
and cover letter. Contact Cassie at
[email protected]
Personals/Personali
Reliable, 31-year-old Australian
looking for English teaching, babysitting, waitressing or computer assistance work during July and August
in Florence. Tel. 055.4201948 /
339.1684177
French young woman offers baby-sitting and help for homework. Available
nights after 19:00, mornings until
10:00 and week ends. Please contact Camille: 347.6048907
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Summer Lunch
Sunday Brunch
euro 14,00
euro 26,00
from 12:30pm to 14.30pm
buffet + choosen plate from the menu
from 12:30pm to 15.30pm
service, bread and water included
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FROM TUESDAY TO SUNDAY
OPEN FROM 12:30 PM TO 1:00 AM
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NEWS - Antoine Gaber

Transcription

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